


The Lost Girl

by fnuckle



Series: Anastasia's Story [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: (possibly more minor relationships-yet to be decided), Altered Mental States, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Author likes to write long author notes, Clan Lavellan - Freeform, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Graphic Descriptions of Body Functions, Learning Magic, Like hes kind of a dick in the beginning of the game in general, Minor Blackwall/Josephine, Minor Character Death, Minor Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus, Minor Lavellan/Solas, Minor Sera/Dagna, Modern Character in Thedas, Modern Girl in Thedas, Multiple headcanons, Not a Songfic but Has a Ton of Songs, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person, Romance doesn't follow Canon, Slow Burn, Spoiler: cullen hates her at first, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tags May Change, The Fade, This fic doesnt coddle him at all, Trespasser Spoilers, alcohol ment, drugs ment, fade exploration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-05-28 01:44:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6309433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fnuckle/pseuds/fnuckle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's another Modern Girl in Thedas story! Yeehaw. Buckle up and sit in tight because this is going to be a fun one.</p><p>The story is about a girl named Anna-- who of course, is mysteriously transported to Thedas (and isn't the Inquisitor, either). She ends up in prison, and has only one chance to prove her innocence. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, she is a huge fan of the series-- can she convince the others that she isn't dangerous, and only wants to help?</p><p>Things get more complicated when she discovers that she is a dreamer, and that she has mage powers that were lying dormant her whole life. It gets pretty rough, guys. Anna has quite the journey ahead of her-- some parts difficult, other parts that are pretty fun. If anything, it will be an interesting adventure. </p><p>Explicit rating is for later chapters, and I'll add tags as the story updates. More info in the beginning notes as well.</p><p>NOW WITH ART BY YOURS TRULY! First art piece can be found in the fourth chapter!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aliens

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys it's me! Maybe like three of you might recognize me, (probably not) because of another fic I started to write months ago and then deleted. I ended up deleting it because I realized that I really did not think it out or plan it well, and so I kind of had a crisis and decided that it would be better to start over. I've been planning this story since late november-- I'm a busy gal but I've spent a lot of time thinking about this and I can't get it out of my head so I know it's a story that needs to be told. You might find that there are a couple of similarities to some other Modern Oc in Thedas stories, but I promise none of it is intentional and was planned before I read them (I only read one mgit before planning this story, actually, and then I started reading others a couple weeks ago and I was just like "dammit"). -- but ya know, I'm keeping it the way I planned because this is my story, I've been planning it forever, and the story itself is different enough from what I've seen that I believe it can stand on its own. I just wanted to get that out of the way before we started because it's something that I'm kinda nervous people will bring up.
> 
> On to other things then. There will be fluff and what not, and trust me I have a lot of fun things planned. But this is supposed to be a story about a real person in 2016 getting transported all the way to Thedas, and I'm not really planning on things starting out that easy for her. There will be violence, blood, etc. I'll try and give warning when I can. 
> 
> I'm not really sure what else there is to say without being super spoilery other than that I am still a beginner writer-- and I've rewritten this first (and other!) chapter so many times that I'm getting real tired of it. I think the first chapter at least is finally to the point where I'm happy with it, so I'm making myself finally post it lest I try to rewrite it AGAIN. Feel free to point out any spelling mistakes, and feedback is super appreciated!! Thank you for reading, I hope yall enjoy it as much as I've been enjoying writing it!

Anna knew something was terribly wrong the moment she woke up to find her entire bedroom encased in blue light.

At first, she thought something was wrong with her eyes. Was sudden onset color blindness a thing? She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and sat up to better see her surroundings, blinking wildly as if that would change the scene before her.

The first thing she noticed was just how _intense_ the blue was-- no other color was discernable except for varying shades of blue. Then she realized that there was no source to it either; it wasn’t coming from her windows and none of the lights were even on. Yet somehow the color was still so vibrant that it seemed to surround the air around her, covering her and the rest of the room like a blanket.

She also felt a subtle, deep vibration underneath her, similar to an idle car or truck but much, much larger. It was shaking the whole house! She would’ve guessed it was an earthquake, but it felt too consistent, too machine-like. Whatever it was, it didn’t feel _right_. Dread began to bauble in her lower stomach as she tried to figure out what to do. Should she hide? Should she call 911? Should she go look downstairs and appraise the situation before doing anything else?

Anna started to panic-- key word here being _started_. She barely began hyperventilating before an overwhelming feeling of calm completely washed over her, like a wave of anti-adrenaline surging through her body and leaving her skin numb. Her heart, which had only moments before been beating impossibly fast, slowed back to its regular pace, as did her breathing. She had never felt anything like it before, but she didn't have much time to dwell on it.

Because that was when her body started moving.

As in, her body got out of bed and stood up despite the fact that she very much did not want to stand at all. As she turned around, it was with a sinking feeling that she realized she had lost all control over her movements, as if she was put into a trance. Anna-- or rather her body-- went to her dresser and started pulling out clothes. She tried stopping, but she couldn’t. Her arms kept doing things without her willing them to.

It was an eerie and deeply unsettling feeling.

_Do not be afraid, my child._

The words weren't said out loud, but Anna could clearly hear the wizened voice of a woman speaking to her in her thoughts. _O-kay._ This was officially too weird to be real. Obviously she was dreaming, right? Her body slowly fumbled with her clothes like some sort of fucked up frankenstein as she desperately tried to make herself believe she was dreaming. If she was dreaming, then that means she could wake up. She closed her eyes and tried to will herself awake while her body was changing into a sweater and jeans. It didn’t work.

She was trying not to think about how everything felt too real to be a dream in the first place.

Anna’s disembodied limbs put on her jacket and boots and then opened her door to the hallway, which was also flooded with the same blue light as her room. She moved towards the stairs and as she neared the top of it, everything clicked into place.

Aliens. It had to be.

Every single episode of the X-Files flashed by her eyes as she pieced it all together. It made the most sense, really. The blue, the low hum of vibration, the feeling of calm, her body moving on its own accord, the voice in her head...she had always been skeptical about UFO’s, but she approached it more as a “I’ll believe it when I see it” kind of situation. She never stopped to consider what it would actually be like to experience. She hoped these were nice aliens at least. And if they weren’t nice, she _really_ hoped that she wouldn’t remember it.

She started descending the stairs, and with shock she saw that the front door was wide open, with a blinding white light pouring in from outside. It was like looking straight into the sun, her eyes hurting when she gazed directly at it. She closed her eyes--she still had control over that at least-- and as she neared the bottom of the stairs she could feel the low hum of vibrations getting louder, deeper, a slow rhythm to it that was barely audible. A tingly sensation spread out from the tips of her fingers to the rest of her body, pulsing through her in a slow beat that matched the one below her feet.

_It is time for you to find your truth._

The voice spoke to her again, this time the words embracing her, surrounding her with peace. She was moving towards the open door, the air around her seeming to buzz with electricity. A rumble, like the crashing waves of an ocean during a storm filled her ears, the light still too bright through her closed lids, her skin on fire as she walked closer. Time stretched into eternity, each moment consuming her. She could no longer think, only feel.

Finally she reached the threshold of the doorway, her body seeming to take pause as it stood on the precipice of the unknown. She was completely surrounded by the whiteness now. Nothing else existed but her and the light. The roar in her ears stopped, her skin reverting to the pleasant tingling sensation from before instead of burning like it had a moment earlier. She opened her eyes and closed them again, but it made no difference to what she saw. Everything was white. Everything was silent. Everything was....peaceful.

And then she was falling, and the world went dark.

 

* * *

 

Anna could feel someone poking her ribcage, and she swatted at them as she started to stir. Everything was bright, and cold, and...wet?

The events of the night prior rushed back to her still barely conscious brain. Was she still getting abducted by aliens or...?

“Serah, wake up.”

She opened her eyes slowly, peeking through her eyelashes. All she could see was that she was in some kind of woods, but someone’s head was blocking the rest her her view. She let her eyes focus and...oh god is that actually an alien? That's an alien. A fucking _alien_ . She bolted upright immediately, scrambling to get away as panic set in. She didn’t get very far before she slipped and fell face first in snow. At least now she knew what that _wet_ sensation was. The _thing_ quickly caught up, and it grabbed her arm in a fierce grip so that she couldn't get away.

“Serah, I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me.” it said.

Wait. English. Do aliens speak english? She looked up to where it was squatting beside her.

“You're not an alien.” She said once she realized that he was indeed, not an extraterrestrial. But he wasn't human either, and it wasn’t hard to see why she got him mixed up. His eyes were large and reflective-- probably some weird contacts. The bridge of his nose was odd too, with it sticking out in a way she's never seen before. It _had_ to be some sort of make-up. Either that or some sort of genetic deformation. It was his ears, however, that made her believe it was the former.  Nobody had ears _that_ pointy.

“You’re.., you’re an--”

“An elf, yes,” he cut her off with obvious dismay, “and no I am _not_ from an alienage if that's what you're getting at.”

She was going to say _actor,_ but okay.

“You...you...” She stammered, still staring at him, not able to get her words out. He was wearing some sort of weird medieval looking get-up, complete with metal armor, dirty clothes, and a tacky looking sword. And he said he was an elf. Did he really think he....

Anna burst into laughter.

She sat there laughing like a hyena for a couple of minutes, cracking up even harder when she saw the dismay and confusion on his face. Either he was an actor who was really dedicated to his role, or he was a goddamn larper. Judging by the fact that no one else was near by, she was guessing he was a larper who strayed from camp. It would explain his ears and what not-- she was very familiar with how real a talented cosplayer could make these things look. Plus, she knew there were some larping events in the woods a few hours away from the city, but she only knew that because one of her friends was really into it. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the arm that wasn't being gripped, trying to stop laughing but still giggling periodically. Fucking nerds, man. Of course she was a huge nerd herself, but still. Fucking nerds.

His frown deepened as she started to finally calm down. “Are you done now?” he tugged on her arm, trying to make her get up. Umm....no. She did not like how hard he was pulling.

“What are you doing?” She murmured, trying to pull her arm away from him. “Let go of me.”

Of course that only made him hold on to her tighter.

“Serah, you must come with me. You don’t have a choice.” His steel grip would _not_ let go.

Yeah, fuck this. She started smacking his fingers as she scrambled to pull away. She was not about to get murdered by some sort of weird elf guy. Nope. Sorry but this was not how she was going to die.

“Dude, come on,” she tried not to sound too panicked “I need to get back to Savannah. We aren't too far away are we?” She tried tugging on her arm again but he wasn't having it. He pulled harder, forcing her to stand up and follow him as he pretty much dragged her out of the woods.

“Oof-- oh come on, is this necessar-”

She didn't get to finish that sentence. Why? Because as he lugged her out of the woods, she got her first good look at the sky.

No way. No fucking way. She couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle at the sight she was faced with. Her heart was about to pound itself out of her chest, her vision spinning as the blood rushed to her head.

Nothing on earth could look like what was in the sky. Nothing _real_ , at least. The only thing she had seen like it was extremely _not_ real.

“I can't... brea... the...” Anna stumbled, the world tilting as she lost her balance.

They had called it the breach, but it was a _game._ This...this must be a dream. A lucid dream? She had never experienced anything quite like it. It felt so _real._

The elven man stopped, quickly holding out his arms to catch her. Black dots bloomed across her vision, her head throbbing as she began to fall.

She passed out before she even hit the ground.

 

* * *

 

It was when she woke up once more that she could no longer deny it.

At first she thought she was back in her bedroom-- it was dark enough that she couldn't tell where she was. But the relief she felt lasted for only a moment-- she quickly realized that what she had been laying on was _not_ her bed. No, it was some sort of...straw? A pile of hay. And wherever she was, it was _cold._ She still had her jacket on, and her boots, thank god. She bundled herself up in it as best she could.

And then her eyes adjusted. She could barely see, but it looked like there were a couple windows scattered about, tiny ones high up on the wall like the ones in her parents basement. Much too high for anyone to reach though. The light from the windows-- it looked like there was one on the wall nearest her as well-- helped her see, although only barely since it was apparently night time. She squinted at her surroundings.

She was in a jail cell.

No-- slash that. She was locked up behind bars in a fucking medieval _dungeon._

She couldn't deny it any longer. It was all too real to be a dream. She had no idea how she got here, or if she would survive. But at least she knew one thing-- the sky had made it obvious she was no longer on earth. No. She was somewhere else entirely. A place that should never have existed. It was a _video game_ for gods sake.

She put her head in her hands as she said the words out loud, trying to make herself believe them.

“Dragon age,” she whispered. “I'm in fucking _Dragon Age_.”

And then, surrounded by nothing but silence and darkness, Anna began to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost done rewriting the second chapter for the third dang time, and I'm pretty positive that its going to be the final draft of it so keep your eyes out! It will be posted soon!


	2. Rena

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Second chapter, and only a day later! I tried real hard to get it posted before midnight but I'm only like half an hour late so it still counts, right? I'm on spring break right now so updates won't always be so quick, but I'm going to definitely try and post with regularity. Also, wow, 13 kudos already?? Thank you so much!! I am honestly giddy from all the excitement that people are reading this and like it enough to leave kudos. (Hopefully I don't ruin it with my next few chapters, wah). I would love to hear any thoughts you guys have too, please don't be shy! 
> 
> Oh yeah, so the language thing. I kept it the same because honestly, it's already pretty far fetched that Thedas even exists-- an alternate earth with magic and demons and humans that look just like us?? There are a ton of parallels here that are highly unlikely, like the chantry/church for example, so I figured throwing in the same speaking language on top of all the other similarities wasn't too crazy. Plus, personally I feel like if I changed it, their names would probably have to change to suit whatever language I made up too-- like how Qunari's names sound like Qunlat. Don't get me wrong, I really like the idea of different languages, and enjoy fics which have that in them, but yeah, those are my reasons for deciding to keep using "english" as it were.
> 
> There were a few other things I forgot to mention last chapter--there's gunna be art at some point (my own!) so look out for that! Also, this fic has a shit ton of OC's. Some of them will be super minor characters, maybe only appearing once, but others will play a much larger part. Also, and you probably already figured this out, I babble a lot, and I'm definitely abusing this 'notes' space to talk to ya'll, oops! But there's just a lot I have to add, ya know? Expect me to be putting in references too-- pictures, music, etc etc, basically just stuff that goes along with the story whenever it fits. I think it will add to it, yeah? Here's an example of what I mean-; http://s7d1.scene7.com/is/image/terrain/26366740_000_a?$zoom2$ (edit: help?? Do links not post in the notes section?? I'm new to posting on ao3 can someone give me a clue ahhh sorry) thats how I imagine the bucket in the fourth paragraph to look. Of course it will be more relevant than that, but ya'll get my drift.
> 
> Anyways, enough talk! On to the story!

Anna wasn't sure how much time had passed. An hour, maybe more? She couldn't really see in the other cells too well, but she was pretty sure she was alone. She was slightly grateful for that, as she had a panic attack almost immediately after she woke up. She felt better now, but lightheaded. And her snot had gotten everywhere-- she mostly just blew her nose into her hand and wiped it into the hay. It felt disgusting but she would have rather been able to breathe, and well, she was in a goddamn dungeon in another world-- being gross was the least of her concerns.

The dungeon itself wasn’t just dark and cold, but dank, with droplets of water falling from the ceiling and down the walls. Her jail cell wasn't too bad at least, but the walls were still damp and it gave off this muggy, dirty water smell, like she was in a cave. But mainly it just smelled like...like _old._ It was hard to describe, but it reminded her of what very old stone buildings, or old tunnels smell like. Places that were usually in disuse or used as some sort of museum.

The cell itself was bare bones-- it had the pile of hay she had been laying on (which was mostly dry, thank god), which by all means was more than what she’d expect from a medieval dungeon. It wasn't the most comfortable but it was eons better than the alternative of sleeping on the floor. She was already a picky sleeper as it was, and that was at home on her tempurpedic with temperature control and silence. Well, it was quiet here at least, so that's one thing Anna had going for her, but she knew without a doubt that getting used to sleeping in these conditions will be difficult. And it would’ve only been worse if she had to sleep on the cold, hard ground.

The only other thing in the cell was a bucket. It took her a second to realize what it was for, and once she did she was glad that it had been cleaned out from whichever occupant was in here prior to her. She needed to pee pretty badly, so she took the opportunity to use it herself. It wasn't too bad-- it’s not like she was unfamiliar with squatting to pee. Her days of drunken youth and peeing behind dumpsters weren’t _that_ far behind her after all. The only thing she was a little worried about was lack of toilet paper... peeing with no toilet paper wasn't that bad though. She could shake most of the remaining droplets off herself, and she tried to use the hay to do the rest, which didn't really work, but it was honestly just a bit of urine. And while she had standards that were normally a bit higher than that, she was obviously going to have to lower them. Nah, it was pooping with no toilet paper that had her worried. The idea of not being able to at least wipe herself clean made her extremely uncomfortable. She couldn't help but wonder what the average person in Thedas did for their bathroom hygiene-- if they had any at all. Did they wipe themselves after they shit? Did they bathe with any sort of regularity, if at all?

This wasn't even the beginning of the long list of problems that came along with her being plopped into Thedas-- she had a lot of questions, and right now there was no real way to find answers. She would think about why, how...and _who_ sent her here later-- there were too many other things she needed to figure out before she could tackle the big questions. No, she needed to figure out what she was going to do to get herself out of here first. That was most important.

She attempted to consolidate all of her knowledge of this world-- of which she knew a lot. She was in fact a huge nerd about Dragon Age.. She had played all three games, and her parents had gotten her both of the World of Thedas books _and_ the inquisition art book for Christmas two months ago. She had read quite a bit of it, but she didn't have a picture perfect memory. She also liked reading various fan interpretations and comments on in game events or characters, along with the fanfiction which she regularly indulged in. She wished she had a pen and paper so she could start writing it all down as she remembered. That would be a good start.

Eventually the light from the windows started to get brighter. Morning, then. She wondered if she was going to die down here, lonely, cold, and forgotten. Her stomach growled, and she shifted where she lay in the stack of hay. That's when it hit her that there were a couple things that were different; small changes that were just subtle enough to make her doubt herself entirely. It had been a while since she played Inquisition (she had started more play throughs than she actually completed, and the last time she played was a couple of weeks ago) so she wasn't going to remember _every_ single detail of the game, but...she didn't remember the main room of the dungeon having a door to close it off. Nor did she remember there being any windows. She couldn't recall anything more than that, but it was enough. What if she wasn't where she thought she was? Or what if she _was_ , but everything was different from the world she knew? If the small things were different, what did that mean for everything else?

The sun had just came up on the horizon (as best as she could tell anyways) when the door leading into the room opened. Anna caught a couple of distant voices which seemed to come from further down the hallway before the person who entered closed it with a loud thump, muffling any sounds from outside. The lady who came in was very short and was wielding a torch, but Anna had to look away before she could see more as it was too bright and made her eyes hurt.

“Up against the wall now lass, I'm comin’ in for a mo’ and if I see you move even an inch I'll end ya.” The mystery lady said as she walked closer to her cell.

Anna scrambled up against the wall, sticking her hands up in reflex as she squinted towards the woman, trying to get her eyes to adjust enough to see.

“Good. Now stay there, alright? Don't move. Don't give me a reason to hurt ya, okay? I don't like doin’ it but it’s part of the job.” The woman took out a large chain of keys and opened the door to her cell, closing it behind her when she came in. “You can thank me for not having any of those shackles round yer arms too-- Finn wanted to chain ya to the damn wall but I told him no way. You weren't even armed! And yer no mage either, we checked. I told him, what harm can she do eh? What if she's just lost, don't wanna scare her out of her wits too much, I said.”

The talkative woman set what looked like a mug and a plate with a piece of bread down on the ground. Anna’s eyes had finally adjusted enough to get a good look at her-- red hair cropped short to her head and a round face. And she wasn’t just short, but also very thick, her proportions a bit odd for someone her size. It didn't look bad, just different than anything she’d seen before.

“Are you a dwarf?” Anna asked before she could stop herself.

The lady raised her eyebrows in response. “Yes, lass, that I am. Don't look so surprised about it yeah?” She turned and retreated back out the cell, locking it behind her. “You can move now, but I don't want you doin’ nothin funny now ya hear? Don't make me be wrong about you. Finn would never let it go.” She started walking around the room, using her torch to light others that were attached to the wall.

Anna nearly lunged for the food. The bread was stale but she found that she really didn't care one bit. She was too hungry. She inhaled several bites before eyeing the mug of what looked like water beside her. Was it safe to drink? Did they know to at least boil water before consuming it? Would she die from some disease if she drank it? Her throat was dry and ached for hydration, so fuck it. She took a large gulp and nearly cried from how good it felt down her parched throat. It tasted like the water at her uncle's house-- he lived in the woods on a dirt road and he still used well water. At least it was familiar.

“Where am I?” Anna asked when she was done, wiping away the drops of water that escaped on to her chin with the back of her hand. She was pretty sure she knew the answer, but she needed confirmation.

“Yer in the basement of the Haven Chantry, lass.” The woman replied. “But you already knew that didn't ya?”

“I had a feeling.” Anna sighed.

The woman pulled up a chair and a small table from the other side of the room and sat in front of her jail cell, taking out a roll of papers, a feathered quill, and a small vial of ink from her pack that she had been carrying.

“Alright lass. This is what’s goin’ta happen. I'm goin’ta ask you questions, and you’ll answer. If yer lyin to me, I'll bring Berry in, and he's a whole lot meaner than me. Trust me, ya don't want that to happen.” She dipped her quill in the ink and brought it to the paper. “Let's start with yer name yeah?”

“Anna.”

“Yer _full_ name, Anna.”

“Oh! Sorry. Its Anastasia Natalie Sleptsova. May I ask your name?”

The woman glanced up from where she was writing. “Call me Rena. Sleptsova you said? Never heard any name like _that_ before. Where ya from?”

Anna sighed, not sure how to answer. She knew if she lied she would be very quickly found out, but if she straight up said she was from another world there's no way anyone would believe her. Not without proof at least.

“If I told you where I was from, you wouldn't believe me.” She said. “So I'm not sure how to answer that.”

“Try me.” Rena challenged.

“You'll think I'm crazy... Or a liar. And I don't want to find out who this Berry guy is either. So what am I supposed to say?”

“Anna.” Rena leaned in towards her, her forehead almost touching the bars that separated them. “I am a very smart woman. Not only can I tell when someone's lyin'-- and I was trained by the best, mind you-- but I'm especially observant as well. That's why this is my job.” She leaned back in her chair, observing her notes. “Even a fool could figure out yer not from around here. Yer clothes and accent say as much. So why don't ya just spit it out and let me decide how much I believe you or not, okay?”

Well, that made her feel somewhat better, but still. She didn't really have much of a choice. And it would be stupid to lie now.

“I'm...I think I'm from another world.” She finally said, taking her chances.

Rena stopped, looking at her quizzically with her brows raised, yet she didn't say a word.

“See? I told you you'd think I'm crazy.” Anna sighed. As soon as she said ‘another world’ she knew it was the wrong thing to say. But anything else would be a lie, and she was only good at lying when she planned it out beforehand, not when she was under pressure like this. “To be honest I think I'm crazy too. If someone told me yesterday I'd be waking up in an actual dungeon I'd’ve probably laughed in their face. Yet here I am. I'm still hoping it’s a dream but I'm pretty sure it’s not. If I didn't get a good look at the breach I would probably still be in denial.”

“Alright, then.” Rena sighed. “Yer either a very good liar or yer telling the truth. Or at least you believe yer telling the truth.” Rena's eyes flicked to the window behind Anna. “Before the breach I would've thought ya were lyin’ right away. But now... Well. I can at least tell ya believe it yerself.” She sighed again, looking at her notes. “Yer lucky I was the one sent down here, lass, and that I woke up feelin’ good, because I'm goin’ta humor ya. Let's start at the beginnin' yeah? From another world ya say? You remember how ya got here then?”

Anna told her everything she could remember about the night before, sparing no details. Rena scribbled furiously as she spoke. The only part she left out was how she thought she was getting abducted by aliens-- that had obviously not been the case and she really didn't feel like explaining it to her. It would make her story sound even _more_ absurd, she was sure.

“So some mystery lady comes and kidnaps ya in yer sleep with some sort of powerful spell and you end up in Haven. That right?” Rena asked when she was done with her story.

“I guess,” Anna shrugged. “I'm not sure. Magic doesn't really exist in my world like it does here. I'm not really sure how it would work, but then again, here I am.”

“Hmmm.” Rena cocked her eyebrow. “You say yer from another world yet ya knew about the breach, and about magic even though ya supposedly have none where yer from.” Her voice was full of suspicion, and Anna didn't really blame her. She was lucky that Rena was listening to her this far, to be honest.

“Yes.” Anna replied, once again deciding that honesty was the best policy. How else would she explain herself? “In my world we.....well. We have stories, just like you do, and the world of Thedas is the setting of one of my favorite stories. Well, three stories really. The first one follows the Warden during the fifth blight, the second one follows the Champion of Kirkwall, and the third one follows the Inquisition. But it’s fiction, or at least it’s supposed to be. That's how I know about the breach though, and about Haven.” She paused, not sure what she should share about just _how much_ she actually knew. She shook her head. “I know I sound crazy. And to be honest I'm pretty scared out of my wits right now. I’m really hoping that me telling you all this wasn’t a horrible idea, but I’m trying to be honest...so...”

Rena’s eyebrows were almost touching her hairline, that's how high up her head they were. It would've been comical in any other situation, but not now. Anna hoped she was doing the right thing by being honest.

“I can help.” Anna said when Rena stayed silent. “I can use what I know for good, if you'll let me.”

“Right.” Rena replied, voice nearly dripping in disbelief. She shuffled her papers around some more, glancing between them and where Anna was sitting in her cell. Oh no, oh no. Her friendly demeanor was very quickly dissipating, and Anna felt a surge of dread shoot up her stomach.

“Please, if you could just let me speak to someone I know, like Leliana or Cullen or--”

“The _Spymistress_ and _Commander_ are both very busy people” Rena narrowed her eyes, purposefully enunciating their titles like she was insinuating that it’s extremely disrespectful to call them by their given names. Was it even possible for Anna to be fucking this up any more for herself? “They don't have time’ta speak with every person who shows up on Havens doorstep, ya'know. That's why there’re people like me. And to be quite honest with ya, I'm not really sure ya’d be wantin to see them with _that_ kind of story .”

“Oh.” Anna's stomach dropped. “So that means....you don't believe me. Of course you don’t.” She groaned in frustration, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “What about my clothes?” She gestured to herself. “Or my accent? What other proof am I--” she stopped, blinking the rest of her tears away as she thought. She had put her hand back into her jacket pockets, and in doing so she realized something. She had two pockets where her hands went, like most jackets, but she had other pockets too. And if she was lucky, then...

“That's the only thing keepin’ ya alive right now, lass.” Rena replied, but Anna wasn’t listening. “That and the fact that ya were unarmored and had no weapons when we found ya. I knew ya had to have an interestin’ story but....” She paused, reaching for a dagger she had sheathed behind her back, obviously on alert as Anna started rummaging around the pocket on the inside of her jacket. “What do ya think yer doin, lass?”

Anna only ignored her because she was too excited that she found what she had been looking for-- which she quickly realized was a mistake the moment she took it out of her pocket. Rena had both of her daggers out in a flash, pointing them at her and looking like she was ready to lunge at any moment. It was so quick that Anna barely saw it happen.

“No, wait!” Anna dropped the coin from her hands, the clinking sound echoing when it hit the floor. She put her hands up above her head. “It’s not a weapon, I swear, please! It’s just a quarter! A piece of metal. It might help you believe me, I was just-- I’m sorry..!”

Rena lowered her weapons, but only slightly. She looked Anna up and down, and with a sigh, put her daggers on the table. She didn't sheathe them, Anna noticed. And there was still a wall of bars in between her and Rena... But she supposed when you lived in a world full of magic and demons, you had to be ready for anything.

“Slide it through the bars, and then put yer stomach up against the back wall. Now.”

Anna quickly did as she commanded. Her tone was nothing to fuck around with. She turned her head so she could see Rena move over and pick the quarter up, retreating back to her desk to examine it.

“What is this?” She asked.

“Can..uh, can I...” Anna stammered awkwardly. Her body was pumped full of adrenaline, which made it pretty difficult for her to think straight.

“Oh, right,” Rena said as she glanced towards Anna. “You can move now. Answer my question, though.”

“It’s a quarter.” Anna repeated as she moved back to her haystack, knees still shaking. “It’s currency where I live. We have coins, like that, which make up a dollar. There are one hundred cents to a dollar, and the coin you’re holding is worth twenty five cents. That's why it’s called a quarter, because it’s one fourth of a dollar.”

“It doesn't look like anything I've seen before...”

“Well, that's because you haven't. Another world, remember? As you can see, it says ‘United States of America’. That's the country I'm from.”

“Wait...” Rena squinted harder at the coin. “Where?”

“Uh...do you not see it?” Anna tried to remember where everything was on a quarter so that she could point it out. “I'm pretty sure....I think it says that above Washington’s-- that the mans name-- above his head?”

Rena brought it close to her face. “These markings.. They are so small. And you're saying these are words?”

“That's what I'm saying, yes... Why, can you not read it?”

“No. This looks like gibberish to me.”

“What?!” Anna exclaimed. “Then what were you writing?”

“I was writin' in Common,” she answered, “the same language yer speakin'. If yer telling the truth, lass, then why is it that we speak the same language yet our systems of writing are different?” Rena was still suspicious, but less hostile now. She was slowly regaining that friendly tone from earlier. But Anna would not let that fool her into thinking she was in any less danger.

“I really don't know.” Anna said, and it was true. It _was_ pretty odd, but...”The most I know is that in the story it was the same way. You spoke english-- that's what we call common-- but your writing looked different from ours. But other than that, I have no idea.”

Rena set the quarter on the table and started scribbling notes once more. “Alright, lass.” She said finally. “This coin is odd enough that I'm willin’ to vouch for ya to the Spymistress. She might still kill ya, but I doubt it. You might prove useful.”

“Oh!” Anna couldn't help but feel _extremely_ relieved by that. She really, really didn’t want to die. Saying that would suck would be a huge understatement.

“Not so quick now,” Rena warned. “I said I’d vouch for ya, but the most I can do is give her this coin and put in my report that I think yer tellin’-- well, that ya at least believe yer tellin’ the truth. Yer story is still...well...”

“I can help with that.” Anna moved over to the bars, grasping them in her eagerness. “I can prove that I'm not crazy. I can tell you something that hasn't happened yet. Something nobody would know.”

“And this would prove you're not a spy....how?” Rena countered with a suspicious look.

“Good point. But I should still try to make you believe that I'm innocent anyways, right?” She thought for a moment. “I don't even know where in the story we are. If you could help me out there, I could think of something....The breach isn’t closed, so I kind of have an idea, but...”

“Yer sayin’ in this story of yers they actually manage to close the breach?” Rena, who by all accounts still didn't really believe her, sounded a bit too hopeful for Anna to fully accept that she wasn't at _least_ entertaining the idea that her story might not be complete bullshit. Or at least that's what she _hoped_ it sounded like.

“Just give me a hint.” She said. “It doesn't have to be specific, just give me an idea. Besides, wouldn't most spies already know what's going on?” Anna shook her head. “If I'm a spy I'm not very good at my job, am I?”

“Alright... Fine.” Rena relented. “I'll tell ya only this-- the Herald of Andraste left for Val royeaux two days ago. Everyone knows that. But I'm not tellin’ ya anythin’ else so--”

“No! That's perfect!” She sprung up, making Rena flinch and nearly grab for her weapons again. Anna immediately backed off, stepping away from the bars with her hands up yet again. “Sorry, sorry. I just got really excited. Didn't mean anything by it.”

Anna sat back down on the stack of hay. “Write this down. I want Lel-- sorry, I want the Spymistress to see this before the Herald gets there. Can you do that?”

Rena shrugged. “I'm givin’ her this report as soon as we’re done. I can't tell ya when she’ll get to it, but it’ll probably be before they arrive, so..”

“Okay, this is what's going to happen.” Anna began, confident in herself. Hopefully the main storyline was the same, but this was all she had to go on. So if it wasn’t....well, she would probably be fucked, but the benefits of it working outweighed the chances of it not. “The Herald’s going to get there, and they're going to find a Mother-- the Chantry kind, not the parent kind, preaching something about how bad the Inquisition is...I think? It’s been awhile, sorry. Anyways what's important is that this Seeker guy shows up with a bunch of Templars...Lucas?”

“Lucius.” Rena corrected her.

“Right. Lucius.” Anna continued. “Anyways, he shows up and...he punches her. The Mother, I mean. In front of everyone. And then they leave and go to Therinfal Redoubt.”

Rena stopped writing to look up at Anna. She blinked once, twice, then bust out laughing.

“I swear! It’s the truth!” Anna pleaded as the woman calmed herself down. “Please, write it down. Please.”

Rena did as Anna bid, still chuckling as she wrote. “This is amazin'.” she said. “If anythin’ I'm just glad for the absolute pure entertainment this has been. Hopefully the Spymistress finds it as amusin’ as I have.”

Anna sighed. “Out of everything I've said, _that's_ what you think is funny?”

“Lass, everythin’ you've been sayin’ is funny. But yes, that’s the funniest of them all. If Seeker Lucius punches the Mother in her face, I will give ya all five of the sovereigns I've been savin’ up, I swear.” She chuckled again. “The sky openin’ up and demons fallin’ out? Sure. But I know enough about that man to say-- that's just never goin’ta happen.”

Anna crossed her arms. “Well, you don't have to believe me. Just write it down in the report.”

“Oh I am.” Rena mused. She continued writing for another minute or two, still chuckling to herself here and there before finishing up. She wiped the ink off her quill with a piece of cloth, rolled up the paper-- parchment?-- and put her things back into her pack. She picked up the quarter and dropped it in as well.

“Alright lass. I dunno if I'll see ya again, so good luck. You’ll need it.” She opened the door, pausing before disappearing completely. “Thanks for the laugh. Haven't smiled so much since before the breach. I appreciate it.”

And with that she was gone, the door letting out another loud thump as it closed.

Anna slumped even further back into her haystack, letting out a long shaky breath. She really, really hoped this worked.

Now all she had to do was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who knows me in real life will know that Anna's last name is dangerously close to my own. That's because it is! Or rather, it's the Russian version of it before my Grandparents had to flee and change the spelling. I'm not worried about it, anyone can figure out who I am very easily just from my username, so, yeah. I couldn't really find any Russian last names that felt right other than that one tbh, but maybe that's just because I'm biased. But that brings up the question; is this a self insert? The answer is both yes and no. Anna is definitely her own person, with her own background, talents, ambitions, etc. But I'm also putting a lot of my own personality in her too. Plus she lives in Savannah, Georgia, which is where I'm currently residing, but I promise that there's a reason for that other than that I just love this city so much (which you won't figure out until much much later-- mwahahaha!).
> 
> P.S. I'm guessing you're here because you're just as much of a nerd about Dragon Age as I am, right? So come talk to me and be my friend! I'm still p new to the fandom compared to some of ya'll, so I would really love to meet more of you! So come say hi, okay! Here's my DA blog livinginthedas.tumblr.com. My main is casualbutthole in case I end up following/liking anyones posts...just so you know it's the same person, ha.
> 
> Do these long notes bother anyone? Please tell me if it does. Don't be mean about it please, but also I don't want to detract from the story with my ramblings so I won't be offended if you're honest. Although I will say that this is still the beginning and other chapters (probably, most likely) won't have such long blurbs.
> 
> Again, thank you for reading and for all the Kudos! I'm super honored. Can't wait to post the next few chapters and hear some reactions. Is it normal to be this excited about your own fic? Well, I hope so at least. Gotta like what you write, right?


	3. Save Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I figured out how to add links to notes, so here's your first reference pic: [Leliana's official concept art](http://40.media.tumblr.com/6c5e4f83d055ede5e1d0a72977baac58/tumblr_ng0dziuDQd1tte9mqo2_1280.png)
> 
> The second reference is this song (and just like anna, Sorne is also my all time favorite musical artist--btw, this fic is going to have a lot of music references in it, just letting you know.) [Coyote by Sorne](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOomUtX1kA8). I would highly recommend waiting to listen to it until it comes up, for maximum effect.
> 
> Also, huge warnings for this chapter, (I'm about to update the tags so they reflect this)...This chapter not only talks about some gross details and body functions, (like pooping, periods, etc) but also has some kind of traumatic violence in it. I'm really sorry. Stop reading now if you are easily triggered by these things.
> 
> Lastly...nearly 5k words for this chapter. Damn @ myself. Not sure if this trend will continue, but knowing me it probably will. (No promises though)

Turns out waiting was the hardest part.

It had been eight days since Anna woke up in the dungeon, and she felt like she was going nuts. She knew it wouldn't be fun, but she didn't realize _just_ how difficult it would be.

There was a routine: in the morning, right after dawn, an armed guard would bring her a mug of water and a slice of bread. Once it had been _two_ slices, which made her extremely happy, but the next day it was back down to only one. Then, around dusk they would bring more food, this time usually half a loaf instead of just a slice, collecting the dishes as well.

The “loaf” was much smaller than what you'd buy in the grocery store, and was round instead of rectangular. A full loaf might've been the size of a plate, in between a standard small plate and regular sized plate--not small but not that large either. It was also usually stale (and one time it was moldy! But only a little bit, so she just ate around it), but a couple of times it was fresh, which was a treat. The bread itself tasted a bit blander than what she was used to, and she noticed particles of dirt baked into the dough as well, but she didn't care. She was grateful she was being fed, even though it still proved to be not enough.

At first the hunger had been nearly unbearable-- her stomach went from growling angrily to just simply being in pain from the sudden lack of nutrition. Her head protested too-- throbbing so hard the first night that all she could do was hold her head in her arms, trying not to cry. After the third day the pain receded, and she found that while her body was no longer protesting as painfully as before, she had very little energy. She considered trying to get in shape-- she could be that badass who used all her free time in jail getting buff like in the movies-- but she could barely even stand up for long without getting exhausted. She had never felt anything quite like it-- the fatigue that came from lack of food was never something she had to deal with before(was it considered starving if she still ate? It was barely enough to keep her going, so she wasn't sure).

Anna wasn't necessarily skinny, but she wasn’t overweight either. She had gained 25-30 pounds since moving to Savannah to go to college, and her doctor at one point told her she needed to lose some weight, but it wasn't anything serious unless she continued to put on pounds. She had very little muscle-- she was going to school for art and music, and she never really cared much for any sort of physical activity outside of walking around the city. There were times where she tried to start up running, but it never became a habit. It had never really been a problem-- she was only 23, after all, and still had plenty of energy on any regular day to do what she wanted. But now, without food, she was left weak. And she could tell that she had already lost a bit a of weight.

Along with bringing her food and collecting her dishes, they would also change out her poop bucket with a new one every other day or so. Shitting without toilet paper was....not fun, to be honest. It helped that she was squatting, and she learned very quickly to spread her cheeks so that there was minimal contact, but it became difficult when her poo started to become runny and more foul smelling than usual. She guessed it was because of lack of food, or maybe something in the water, she wasn't sure. After a couple of days, it got a bit better. Maybe her body just needed to get used to whatever new types of bacteria was being introduced to her system? When it got messy, she would take some straw and try to clean herself as best she could, which usually worked well enough, but it was still uncomfortable.

Perhaps that discomfort wasn't merely just from a lack of toilet hygiene, but from a lack of hygiene overall. It didn't take that long for Anna to get past the point of just being dirty, instead falling somewhere on the scale between disgusting and repugnant. She was grimy and gross, and she hated it. Her hands especially made her uncomfortable, having always hated the feeling of too much dirt between her fingers or stuck to her palms. Dirt had gotten stuck underneath her nails too, but she had long since given up trying to get it out, opting to bite her nails off instead. She could smell her own BO (it was very strong), but since it was her own body odor it wasn't nearly as bad as it could be, although she imagined that to anybody else it would be a lot less bearable. God, she knew there were similarities between Thedas and Earth, but she really hoped the medieval ages aversion to bathing wasn't one of them. Anna was sure she’d get used to however smelly it was, or at least she hoped, but if people only washed themselves once a year...well, she could _try_ to become a hermit, but with how dangerous Thedas is...like she said, she really hoped people bathed with at least some sort of regularity. She tried observing (and smelling) the guards, but it was difficult, since they were always covered in armor and she was always having to put her stomach up against the wall furthest away from them when they came in her cell.

Her hair, too, was disgusting. Her scalp had become maddeningly greasy, which made it itch, causing huge flakes of dandruff to fall off her head. Anna was sad about her hair the most-- she had always felt somewhat blessed to have such pretty hair. It was long and thick-- not necessarily curly, but definitely wavy. It was naturally a rich brown with reddish undertones, and in the summer the sun would stain her highlights a pretty strawberry blonde. People would comment on it all the time, and whenever she ventured into a salon to get her hair cut, the stylists would _always_ say something about how much money people spent to try and get the same color. But now, on top of the grease and dandruff, her hair was knotted so badly that she wasn't sure if it could be saved-- and not only that, but parts of it was starting to feel brittle as well, the ends starting to split and fall off. She knew that her hair should be the least of her concerns, and really, it wasn't, but it was just another thing on top of all the other shitty things that was going on, and she had always loved her hair so much that it was difficult not to be upset.

The worst thing hygiene-wise, though, was on day four. Day four was when she got her period. She had completely forgotten that she was supposed to be getting it soon-- the cramping decided to wait until _after_ she already started bleeding to commence. And with no ibuprofen to help ease the pain, she found herself on the ground, holding her knees close to her stomach as it came in waves. For the bleeding, she tried to stuff straw in her pants to keep it from ruining her clothes-- the only things she had from home-- but it ended up making more of a mess. She opted to just sit on the bucket with her pants down, going in between the bucket and the ground as the cramping came and went.

That night, she tried to plead with the guard who brought her food. “Please” she begged. “I'm bleeding and I have nothing to clean it up with.” But he said nothing, leaving her alone once more. Yet, the next morning, they brought a rag along with her food, as well as some sort of concoction. They wouldn't tell her what it was...elfroot maybe? And it tasted a bit...sour, but it helped. Her flow wasn't nearly as heavy, and the pain from her cramps ceased entirely. Her period stopped completely the next day, which was odd. Usually it lasted around six to seven days, but with the potion it had lasted only around two. It made a lot more sense how women were able to be soldiers and what not if this is how they dealt with their periods. Not that they couldn't be warriors without it-- but bleeding for a week each month with no tampons seemed pretty inconvenient.

That was mainly all the hygiene related things...but hopefully as time passed these things would get better. If she ever got out of this hellhole, she could actually wash herself. She could also, hopefully, find a more productive way to pass the time. As it was, she was _bored._ Anna was not used to being so deprived of stimuli-- she always had her phone to browse through, and when she wasn't browsing the internet she had a myriad of other activities available to her-- piano, drawing, reading, television, video games, music....the list goes on and on. But here? In the dungeon? She had none of those, save for singing and her own imagination. She also had this hay pile, and she found herself futzing with it often. She even made some pretty elaborate pictures and patterns on the floor with the hay, but it wasn’t like she preferred passing her time that way. She was just bored as hell.

Anna also passed time by sleeping-- when she could. She was still having issues with that, but not nearly as much as when she had first arrived. At first, she wasn't even able to fall asleep for two whole days before she finally passed out in exhaustion. She ended up transforming her hay pile into something resembling more of a nest, using her arm as a pillow. Thankfully her jacket kept her warm, otherwise she’d have frozen to death. Still, she missed having a blanket and pillow to lay on, but she counted her blessings she didn’t have to sleep on the floor.

Her dreams were odd, and she wasn't sure what to make of them. They were....fuzzy. But the bits and pieces she could remember felt odd, almost real. More lucid than what she was used to. She wasn't sure what it meant. Was she in the fade when she was dreaming? How would that even work, anyways? Back home, there were theories that your soul would travel to an astral plane every night while your body slept, but she was never sure how....real that was. She had become very interested in it at one point during her youth but it never got anywhere. She wasn't even sure if she believed in the concept of souls....but here, with the fade, was there really any question that souls existed if there was physical proof of them? Not to mention demons and spirits....she shuddered. Anna wondered bleakly what a rage demon might look like in actual real life....in the game they were just another type of enemy to defeat. But here, in actual Thedas? With magic and spirits and all sorts of crazy things like that? She hoped she never, ever encountered one.

Being alone and locked in a tiny room gave her a _lot_ of time to think. And boy, were there a lot of thoughts swirling around in her head. She thought about home-- she wondered how long it would take for people to figure out she had gone missing. She had four roommates, all of whom she’d consider good friends, but it wasn’t uncommon for them to not see each other for days. They were all busy people, after all, with jobs and school and friends and other activities. But she was close with them enough that they would definitely notice _something_ was amiss after a while...especially since she’d left her cat, Lucy, behind. Lucy mainly kept to her room, but liked to prowl around the rest of the house too. She kept a separate litter box in the downstair bathroom for her... her bowl of food and water was downstairs as well. Her roommates would feed her, sometimes, if she was out or busy, but Lucy was primarily Anna’s responsibility. She felt her heart ache a bit, thinking about her cat. She hoped she was okay. She knew her roommates would take care of her, especially once they realized she was gone, but she felt horrible leaving her behind.

Her heart ached even more when she thought about her family. While she didn’t _always_ get along with them growing up (but really, does any teenager get along with their parents?), she loved and cared for them dearly, and she knew it would break both her parent’s hearts when they found out she was gone. She was the eldest, with a fourteen year old sister and a five year old brother. Her sister especially had always looked up to her, even as she entered her teenage years. The fact that Anna had moved out while Katya was still young had helped; they didn’t have the chance to really bicker like most siblings were wont to do. Her sister was a sweetheart, and Anna was so proud of her. The thought of Katya having to deal with such a loss, and with her parents own grief, was devastating. And her brother, Sasha, was so young. He would not understand what was going on at all, but he would still be affected. Still, it made her feel better to think that his youth meant he would hurt less, in the end. She wasn’t as close with him, having moved out while he was still a baby, but he knew who she was and was always excited to see her when she visited. She hoped that both his age and the distance between them meant he would not miss her as much. She wanted them to be happy.

Unless...unless she could find a way back home. She couldn’t deny the possibility-- she had made it here, _somehow_ , after all...and if she could find the person (if it was even a person...but she assumed it was, with the old lady's voice speaking to her) that did this, maybe she could have it reversed....maybe she could be sent back.

But that wouldn’t happen for a while. And that was assuming she would live to see her way out of this godforsaken hole.

Anna curled up into her little nest of hay, hoping that sleep would come and help her escape reality, if only for a little while.

* * *

 

An hour, maybe more, passed by before Anna finally felt her mind starting to slip into unconsciousness. It always took her a while, usually longer, to fall asleep in these conditions, but she was very tired tonight. Yet right as she was about to finally doze off, she heard the door open, and someone--no, multiple someones-- enter.

She sat up slowly, stretching her arms with a yawn, her mind still fuzzy from sleepiness.

But then she saw who came in, and her mouth snapped shut, her head suddenly clear.

The Spymistress herself-- Leliana, had entered, along with Rena and the elven man who found her outside Haven all those days ago. The door shut behind them, and they both stood on either side of it as Leliana strode over gracefully to where Anna lay in her cell.

Anna gasped, drinking in the details of Leliana’s face. She looked very similar to her in game appearance, but different, too. For starters, her hood was down, revealing her long, graceful neck. Her hair was the same, cropped short to her chin, a vibrant color of red which complimented her complexion beautifully. Her outfit was similar to what she remembered, but instead of chainmail, she was wearing what looked like a thick corset type thing (not the ‘sexy' modern kind that are usually too tight... this one looked like it fit her frame, and looked stiff but not uncomfortable). It was purple, along with her skirt thing, which came out from underneath her top, keeping much of the same shape and silhouette that Anna was familiar with. Then there were pants and boots, the boots laced up to her knee and without the metal armor from the game...but it allowed her to move quietly. She had the Inquisition symbol on her chest, along with some sort of leather shoulder pads, sleeves, and gloves. But it was her face that really took Anna’s breath away.

Like her outfit, she looked similar, but not the same. Her face was a bit rounder, her lips smaller, but just as full. Her cheekbones were more pronounced, which complimented her face well, especially her eyes-- which were currently narrowed at Anna as she opened the door to the cell, examining Anna just as much as she was examining her. The overall effect of her appearance reminded her of a predatory cat-- graceful, dangerous, and cunning. They really did not do her justice in the game.

Leliana left the bar door open, and in one swift movement grabbed Anna by the front of her collar, dragging her out of the cell and throwing her in the middle of the room. She fell to her knees, scrambling to stand up, but Leliana gave her another hard push down, causing her to painfully smack her ass against the stone floor.

“Wha...what--” Anna began, confused and terrified at the force in which Leliana had handled her.

“Quiet!” Leliana hissed, her voice nearly the same as the game, which was fascinating, but her tone was sharp and deadly sounding. “You will only speak to answer my questions. Do you understand?”

Anna gulped and nodded. Fuck. She was in deep shit.

“Good.” Leliana was circling her slowly, her hands behind her back. “I am going to give you one chance before I make things difficult for you.” She said, coming to a stop in front of her. “Tell me who you work for now, and I _may_ still let you live.”

“I...” Anna lost her words, not sure what to say. A million thoughts raced through her head at once, but she couldn’t make sense of them. “I’m not...I’m...”

Leliana leaned in, looming over her menacingly. “Did you really think a coin would persuade me?” She hissed. “The intricate details of a talented craftsman--or perhaps magic, meant to convince me of your outlandish story. But I am no fool.”

Leliana straightened, silent as she stared her down. Anna’s heart was pumping loudly in her ears, her mouth completely dry. “I’m not--I’m not working for any-b-body.” She stuttered, trying to keep herself together.

“Lies!” Leliana sneered.

“No! I swear I’m...I’m telling the truth..! I’m from a place called Earth, and Thedas is th-this story, like a game, that I’ve played, and so, so, I know these, these things, and I can...I can help, I--”

“Is it the Templars?” Leliana spat, interrupting her. “The Seekers? Or someone else? Perhaps the one who blew up the conclave in the first place.”

“N-no!” Anna denied in panic, already starting to shake a bit. “I’m--no! Not working for anyone, I promise, I was just, just trying to prove--”

“That you are from another world?” Leliana laughed, but it was cold, no joy behind it. “I was prepared to let you go once I got word of the meeting of the Grand Clerics, as I was sure you were just merely deranged.” She tutted, shaking her head. “But you were right, although the details were wrong. Seeker Lucius may not have been the one to throw the punch, but he officiated it. An obviously premeditated move which I did not anticipate.”

Leliana grabbed the front of her jacket, lifting her slightly so that her face was close to her own. “But you knew.” She hissed. “You knew, and you expect me to believe it’s because this is some _story_ from another realm?”

“I.. I know a lot of things, b-but I just want to help...please!” Anna pleaded. “I can prove it....I know ab- about you, and other people th-that...things I couldn’t unless, unless I was telling the truth!” She could barely get her words out, what with Leliana’s face so close to hers, and the look she was giving her. Anna gulped, trying not to cry from fear. She needed to prove herself, something she wouldn’t otherwise know, something to convince her.

“I know about, about Tug and Sketch and Marj-” Anna began, but as soon as it came out, she knew it was the wrong thing to say.

Leliana dropped her, slapping her hard across the face. Anna cried out, bringing her hands up to her cheek as if it would stop the stinging pain that had bloomed across it. Tears were now rolling down her face uncontrollably, despite her efforts to wipe them way with her other hand.

“Leave.” Leliana commanded, and it took her a second to realize she was not speaking to her, but to Rena and the elven man who were standing guard by the door. She looked over to Rena, hoping for, for something, she wasn’t sure what--but her expression was blank and unreadable, barely glancing at Anna before turning to leave.

The door wasn’t even closed before Leliana picked her up once again, hauling her all the way to the stone wall in between the jail cells, throwing her against it, her feet no longer touching the ground. If Anna thought Leliana was scary before, she was now completely pants-shittingly terrifying. Anna cried out as the back of her head hit the wall, Leliana’s face once again close to hers, this time only a hair away.

“How dare you,” She breathed, her voice a low growl. “How dare you speak those names to me.”

She dropped her, Anna collapsing at her feet. Leliana squatted down, taking her left arm and twisting it painfully. “You have until the count of three to tell me how you know those names and who you work for before I break your arm. One.”

“It’s in the game! In the story! I swear, please, don’t hurt me, I want to help, please!” Anna was crying in earnest, desperately trying to stop hyperventilating, trying to come up with something, anything, that would make Leliana believe her. But her mouth betrayed her, continuing to bring up her past as a bard. “She betrayed you, Marjolaine did-- and Tug, he didn’t make it, she killed him, and--”

Leliana punched her now, much harder than the slap from before. Anna’s vision went black for a second before coming to, focusing on Leliana’s face which was now a snarl. Anna whimpered and began to cry even harder, her arm still twisted as Leliana tightened her grip.

“Two.” Leliana spat.

“H-how else wo-would I know th-this?” Anna pleaded in between sobs. “Wh-why would I tell you this if I w-wasn’t trying t-to prove...I-I just want to, to, to-” Anna hiccuped as the woman stared her down without a hint of mercy. “I j-just want to he-help, pl-please, please.”

“Three.”

Anna screamed as Leliana twisted her arm, white hot pain shooting through her body like she never experienced before. She heard a sickening crunch as her bone broke, nearly passing out from the agony. Leliana retreated, leaving Anna to nurse her arm close to her chest as she started to heave. She vomited, what little bread from her dinner that had yet to be digested coming out in chunks, toxic tasting bile coming out not only from her mouth but through her nose. Her arm was in an unnatural position, the skin not broken but swelling up quickly.

Leliana picked her up again, another scream tearing from Anna’s lips as her arm hit the back of the wall. This was it. This was how she was going to die. In another world, mistaken as a spy, soon to be discarded and forgotten. Anna wailed, both at the pain continuing to shoot up her arm and at the thought of dying so soon, in such a terrible way.

Leliana pulled out a dagger, holding the tip against her face. It was extremely sharp-- Leliana only had to apply the slightest bit of pressure for it to break skin. She sliced a clean trail down her cheek, stopping when she reached her jaw. 

“Give me one reason not to kill you.” She hissed. “One reason why I shouldn’t slice your throat right now.”

Perhaps it was a miracle--or maybe it was just dumb luck. Most likely her subconscious knew that if she didn’t say the exact right thing in that moment that she would die-- somehow recalling a detail which Anna had otherwise forgotten, having only skimmed over Leliana’s story in the World of Thedas book so long ago.

“Your mother...” Anna recalled, voice quiet and eyes closed, “You were four. And you remember the smell...of Lavender. And..orange? But mainly, of her dress...” Anna opened her eyes. Leliana’s expression was no longer guarded, a clear look of shock on her face. “It was gray, right? Her..her dress.”

Leliana stared at her, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. A heartbeat passed, then two, and then she dropped her, Anna thankfully catching herself with her good arm as Leliana turned away. She left without saying a word, the loud thump of the door closing behind her flooding Anna with more relief than she thought possible. She let out a breath, not realizing that she had been holding it in. She started to sob once more, cradling her arm against her chest as she curled up into a ball and cried.

She wasn’t sure how long she was crying, but somehow, she managed to drag herself back to her cell, where she lay in her little cocoon of hay, taking care to hold her arm so that she wouldn’t lay on it or bend it on accident. She took the dirty rag that was given to her all those days ago, and held it to her face to stop the bleeding from where Leliana had cut, not caring how disgusting or dirty it was, only caring to make the bleeding stop. She examined her arm through her tears-- it was swollen very badly, and the pain was a low, blistering throb as the blood pumped through it. She wailed at the sight of it, at the unfairness of it all. She wanted to help, and this is what she got. A broken arm, and a near death experience. And she still hadn’t made it out of this alive. No, she was almost certain she was going to die down here... maybe not tonight but, probably soon. Her arm would get infected and nobody would be here to help her. She was going to die. She was going to fucking die.

Anna broke.

Her cries came to an abrupt stop as she stared up at the ceiling, every emotion numb as it coiled and rotted away inside of her.

For a while, she was alone with nothing but the sound of her breathing and the sharp pain of her still throbbing arm. Her mind was blank-- not a single thought flitting through her head as her vision became unfocused. She had no capacity for...anything.

A voice started to sing, hoarse and tiny, and after a moment she realized it was her own. It was a song by her favorite artist, Sorne, and as she went on her voice became stronger, sometimes choking over the words-- but she continued nonetheless.

_God bless you_

_my blue, coyote_

_with your lonesome drunken howl_

_death spared you, from doom_

_my lovely lonely blue and broken boy_

_you ooooh you_

_were true_

_and were right the night you tried to take your life_

_with your gun you cried_

_Saaaave me_

_woah oh oh! Ooooh oh oh_

_Oooh, save me, woah oh oh, oooooh._

Her voice broke twice towards the end of the last verse, but she didn’t care. She would keep singing if it was the last thing she did.

_oh oh oh oh dearest friend_

_the night has not gone_

_just yet_

_blue dawn is blooming as it breaks_

_as it grows and as it flows across the land_

_across our lives_

_and sheds its light_

_and if it be our lot to die then die we shall_

_come what may_

_upon desert plains of vacant loves we say_

_save me woah woah woah!_

_Oooh, save me, woah oh oh! Woaah oh oh._

The tears were falling freely from her face again, the next part coming out with as much emotion as she could muster, her heart aching as she cried out the rest of the song.

_Oooh ohh oh oooh oooh ooh oh oooh ohh_

She repeated this line, just like in the song, hitting every single high note despite her tears, her voice only breaking once.

And then:

_Save me_

_Save meee_

_Save meeeeee_

_Save meeeeeeeee, ohhhh oooooh ohhh_

_Save meeee_

_Ooooooh oohhh ohhhh ohh ohhh_

_Ooooooooooh. Ooooooooh. Oh ohhhhh ohhhhhh._

 

_Save me...._

 

But nobody was coming to save her.

She cried some more, and then, somehow, though her arm was still throbbing painfully, her exhaustion overtook her, and she fell sound asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. Please don't hate me. I promise it will get better. But, yeah. I've noticed people always mention how Leliana looks dangerous, but have rarely seen it expanded upon. She starts off in the game very cold, and I have no doubt in my mind she would break someones arm without remorse if she felt it was necessary (or if she was pushed, like here). I would really like to know people's reactions to this chapter in particular, so if you leave me a comment with your thoughts I will love you forever. It will get easier from here...still lots of rough things ahead but this is probably one of the worst (well, no promises, but...not planning on a huge amount of traumatic violence in the near future at least)


	4. A Real Big Fright and Taking Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! A few things--First of all yayayaya this chapters got some art by yours truly!! I would recommend against scrolling down to look at it until you get there as it's slightly spoilery though, but do what u want. Also, I am retconning Anna's hair color. It is no longer a "rich" brown with red undertones. Drawing her made me realize I actually really like FULL deep red on her...it still gets lighter in the summer though! I don't care if it's unoriginal to have a red haired OC. Fuck u it's pretty.
> 
> Also I really hope I captured the feel of this right. Writing is hard, man. I cannot stress enough that I'm a huge beginner at this. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing--I'm pretty much running on intuition here. Also, I totally had to delete like 1k words from this bc I was getting too ahead of myself...I have a lot of ideas about the fade and magic and stuff. It's difficult not putting it all in there at once! I wanna talk about it so bad! But I can't, bc I need to build up to it....or whatever. 
> 
> Oh yeah...also, [check dis shit out.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6357280/chapters/14564086) I made another work...thingie (fuck, what are words at this point) where I'm putting all the stuff that doesn't fit in to this story...so basically everyone else's POV. First chapter is Leliana's POV right after she leaves the room!
> 
> Alright, I'll let you get to it. P.S. the translation of...youll see it when u get there... is at the end to avoid ~spoilerz~. And click the link thingies I added! Theyre the references I was talking about but I just added it into the work itself this time. And, shit I almost forgot! Mild trespasser spoilers too, I'll be sure to add that to the tags in a sec.

Somehow, Anna found that she was no longer in her jail cell. It was weird; she didn’t wake up or come to, she was just...suddenly _there_.

Anna looked down at her body, immediately checking her arm. Woah...it didn’t hurt? And it wasn’t bent or puffy, either...She noticed that her arm was also bare, no longer covered in the layers of her sweater and jacket. Instead, she was wearing something...well, okay, this was weird. Whatever she was wearing was nondescript...something ordinary, like a tank top and jeans--but the details were a bit fuzzy. Hmmm. Okay.

Before Anna could even begin to try to discern where in the world she was, she focused on how she _felt_ . Because, well, she felt _weird_. She could still feel and smell and hear and see what was going on just like normal, but it was almost as if she was experiencing everything outside of herself--wait, no, that wasn’t quite it. Hmmm. No, it was more like she was experiencing everything through a slightly fuzzy lens--as if the essence of what roots oneself to reality was slightly dulled, or was not altogether there. Kind of like...kind of like she was drunkish, or maybe a bit high? But also not really, because her mind seemed to be clear enough...Ah! It was like a memory, almost! Yes, that description was a lot more fitting, Anna decided, satisfied that she was able to place what in the world it felt like. She had obviously never experienced anything like this before, and although she still didn’t quite understand what was going on, it made her feel better to at least have a better grasp of how she felt. If she could put words to it, then she had a better chance of figuring it out.

She looked around at her surroundings now, trying to get a feel of where she was. She seemed to be in some sort of...woods? She was right in the middle of a small clearing, the trees surrounding her in an almost perfect circle fifteen feet or so away. And it was very, very dark, the clouds covering the moon and stars, only breaking occasionally enough to let her see.

Where was she? Was she....in the fade? If she was dreaming, that would make _a lot_ more sense...but it didn’t feel like the dreams she was used to--although it _was_ reminiscent of the snippets of dreams that she’d been having since coming to Thedas. But..oh god, if she was in the fade, does that mean there were demons here? She had no idea how to fend them off if she came across them...but she was just a regular person, not a mage, so she should be okay right? Lower chance of possession, or something. She shook her head, trying not to think about it-- she wasn’t sure if even _thinking_ about demons would end up attracting them or not, but she didn’t want to find out. There were a lot of other things she had to worry about without adding freaking demons into the mix.

Honestly, just the thought of how the hell she was able to even _be_ in the fade was enough to make her head hurt. There was no fade where she was from, so how is it that she was able to connect to it now? She had a _lot_ of questions...And as of right now, no answers. So she sucked it up, putting all her thoughts aside, and focused once more on where she was--noticing that things were a lot clearer than before. That feeling of being in a memory was still there, but less so now. _Ugh._ The fade was fucking weird, man.

Anna wasn’t sure what to do, so she took a couple of steps... but her position didn’t change. She frowned. She was starting to not like this fade shit. She took another few steps, longer strides this time, trying to reach the edge of the woods. But still, nothing changed. She was still smack dab in the middle of the clearing, like she never moved at all.

God, what was this? Some sort of trick? Was this how everyone dreamed in Thedas? How did they not go nuts? She was starting to freak out a bit. What the hell should she do? She’s never done this before! She was alone, and scared, and had no idea how to handle _any_ of this.

As her fear grew, so did the trees. They slowly got larger, more menacing, growing inward towards her--like it was trying to trap her in a cage. It became harder for her to breathe--as if all the oxygen was quickly running out--and she began gasping for air as she clutched her chest and throat. Anna stumbled, falling to her knees as she choked, the trees beginning to engulf her completely as they surrounded her. She shielded herself with her arms, terrified, certain that the trees were going to consume her...but then, just as sudden as it began, it stopped.

She kept still for a moment, still kneeling with her arms around her head as she caught her breath before finally daring to peek up. When she did, a faint gasp passed her lips-- the trees were no longer enveloping her, the clearing much, much wider than before. In front of her was an open path, illuminated in light--the moon was no longer covered by clouds-- and in the middle of it was a floating ball of light.

Anna stood up, not sure how to react. “A wisp..?” She asked, more to herself than anything. It shook a bit, gently vibrating as if responding to her question. Then it began floating towards her, taking a few moments before stopping a couple feet in front of her. Anna stared at it, frozen and wide eyed. It was beautiful, glistening like it was made up of actual _rays_ of light-- the beams sticking out of it reminding her of when the sun shines through trees at just the right angle, but smaller....and in ball form. And although it was bright, it didn’t hurt her eyes to look at it. She could hear it too...it was emitting some sort of sound, almost like a song. It kind of reminded her of the companion cube in Portal 2, but the “song” was a bit more...nondescript, so to say, the notes less pronounced. It was more of a low hum that seemed to ebb and flow--more like a subtle vibration sound than an actual melody.

They both sat there for a few moments, Anna staring at it in awe. But then the wisp decided to approach her, encircling her lazily before drifting towards the path and stopping--as if it was waiting for her to follow? But was following the wise thing to do? Anna hesitated before her body unstuck itself from where it was firmly rooted. Its not like she really knew what else to do at this point, and it already seemed to save her from choking to death, so...

She took a few tentative steps towards it, and the wisp, seemingly satisfied, started to float once more--completely in sync with her own speed. This time her body actually moved past the middle of the clearing, and she followed the wisp down the narrow open path through the woods.

She couldn’t tell how long she was walking for, but it was a while. The path twisted in all sorts of crazy directions, with multiple splits and forks--the wisp always guiding her down what she hoped was the right way. But she had no idea where it was leading her to...and for all she knew it could be some sort of trap. But she had no way of telling, so she stuck with it. Nothing bad had happened so far, anyways.

The moon, too, seemed to be helping-- almost as if it was illuminating their way on purpose. She noticed how the moon always seemed to be positioned in front of them no matter how much the path curved, like it was guiding her, encouraging her as it bathed her in its light...and she could almost swear that there was some sort of...some sort of woman? But it was more than that. “She” wasn’t physically there, but it was like Anna could sense her, like the moon itself was the embodiment of feminine energy. In a way, it was comforting. She didn’t know why, or how, but she accepted it-- it made her feel safe.

Finally, the path came to a stop, ending as it reached the edge of a large cliff. The wisp floated past the edge, and Anna came to a halt. Her stomach lurched. She _hated_ heights. Like, she was absolutely terrified of them. She was usually okay when there was a large barrier in the way to prevent her from falling, but even then it would usually end up making her dizzy if she got too close. So the edge of a cliff, where she could easily fall off and die? Yeah, no. Fuuuuuuuuck that. She was staying way over here by the woods-- far enough away that even if she _did_ trip for some reason, she wouldn't fall off.

The moon got brighter, revealing that beyond the cliff was a sea. It was amazing-- the waves were highlighted with a deep violet, crashing and tumbling into itself as it glistened-- and then she realized, _wait,_ it wasn't glistening, it was just reflecting...she looked up at the sky again and nearly started shaking at what she saw. The moon hung above the horizon, large and bright and _gorgeous_ , and surrounding it were thousands upon thousands of stars. Her breath caught in her throat, nearly choking from the emotion that flooded through her. The trees she had been standing beside melted away, letting her see the _entire_ sky-- she could see whole universes with her naked eye, entire galaxies of all different sizes and colors as apparent to her as she could only see in pictures back home. And there were multiple [nebulae](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Hs-2009-25-e-full_jpg.jpg) too-- all sorts of vibrant colors mixing in with each other as the entire sky sparkled. She was completely awestruck, speechless--there were really no words that could encapsulate the sheer amount of beauty that was before her. It was honestly the closest she had ever come to a true religious experience-- she almost expected God to come down from the heavens Himself.

But it wasn’t God who did this, at least not the god she thought of in terms of Christianity...Anna looked back towards the moon, and she knew. It was her-- whoever _She_ was. A goddess? A spirit? Anna wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. The knowledge of what she needed to do next settled within her, and she knew that the question of whoever guided her wasn't important-- right now what was important was facing her biggest fear. The cliff.

Anna swallowed nervously. Somehow she _knew_ that she wouldn't fall, but she was still scared. She faced the wisp, still floating right past the edge. Anna racked up as much courage as she could, and for some reason, it _worked_. She could do this. She wouldn't let herself be afraid. 

Slowly, she started to approach the ledge, somehow no longer scared to look down when she reached it despite her phobia. Wow... she was very, very high up. She glanced back up again, looking at the wisp, and after a moment of hesitation, she reached out.

She was _so_ close to touching it, but before she could manage to grab it, she was falling.

 _No!_ A scream started to form in the back of Anna’s throat, betrayal stinging her heart. It _was_ a trap--she had been so _foolish_ to believe she was safe. But then...what the hell...? Was she..?

....Was she _flying_??

Jesus titty-fucking christ, she was goddamn _flying!_

Ah! She could feel her wings, and they were huge and magnificent. _She_ was huge and magnificent. And she was motherfucking flying! She could  _not_ believe it.

Pure, unadulterated glee took hold, an exhilarating sense of freedom washing over her as she dipped and rolled and flipped in the air, giddy as she flew above the sea. She felt large and _powerful_ \--and she realized she had transformed into something no longer human. Delighted, she raised her head and shouted--but it came out as a deep roar. She laughed, continuing to do all sorts of aerobics in the air, the moon and stars and all of the galaxies still shining down on her. Anna had never felt so amazing in her entire life--she felt like she could do _anything!_ She flew up, trying to reach the stars, letting herself plummet when she got too high. She caught herself before she got too close to the ocean, letting herself roll back up as she used the momentum to do three perfect loops. It was absolutely perfect-- love and happiness surrounded Anna, protecting her as she played, as if the moon Herself was smiling down on her, blessing her with this experience.

She horsed around for a while, letting herself enjoy the feel of her new wings, of how big and strong she was, huffing cheerfully as she explored all the ways in which she could fly around in the air. After a while she started to get tired, and knew her antics had to come to and end. She started looking around, trying to find a place to touch down, but the cliff was long gone, with no other place to land in sight. But before she could even begin to start worrying, her wisp friend appeared once again, and she knew she was safe. Anna looked up at the moon one last time, letting out the most powerful roar she could, as if to tell Her “ _Thank you.”_

The wisp whizzed around her playfully, and she laughed in delight, following it when it situated itself in front of her. It led her down, and she realized she was now above land, despite being above the ocean only moments before. Everything was brighter, too, the moon replaced by a golden sun that was just above the horizon. The land itself looked amazing-- various buildings littered in between trees and flowers and streams of water. It looked like paradise.

She landed in a clearing, reverting back to her human shape--feeling a pang of sadness at the loss of her wings. But that feeling was quickly drowned out by the wonder at her surroundings. Wherever she was, it was _gorgeous._ There were all sorts of amazing plants and flowers, the sun bathing her in warmth as she began exploring. A small animal that looked like something in between a [fox and a squirrel](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/81/f5/2f/81f52fcc78b8e660827cf0a40ababc35.jpg) sprung out of some bushes and ran around her feet playfully as she ran around in glee, the sounds of various birds chirping in the trees filling her with joy as she laughed. There was a stream nearby as well, and the gentle patter noises of the rushing water mixed wonderfully with the sounds of the wind as it weaved through the trees. A butterfly flew past her and she marveled at it, giggling as she saw the vibrant pattern of pinks and blues and oranges on its wings.

She spotted a flower nearly the size of her head, and it was _glittering._ She sniffed it daintily, letting its pleasant aroma fill her lungs fully.

_“Andaran atish’an, ma’falon. Garas quen’aneth ara?”_

Anna jumped nearly three feet in the air, startled by the voice that had called out behind her. She spun around quickly, searching for whomever had spoken.

She was _not_ expecting to come face to face with Solas _._

“Solas!” she exclaimed. “Holy Shit! What are _you_ doing here?” She asked as she exhaled loudly, a hand over her heart while she calmed down from being startled so badly.

Surprise flashed across his face for half a second before quickly being replaced by curiosity and...something else that she couldn't quite place. But it seemed...dangerous. He tilted his head, silent as he examined her, and she let herself do the same. He had the same sort of otherworldly look as the first elf she met, a quality the games didn’t quite capture--but perhaps that was just because she was seeing them for _real_ instead of just as a rendering on the computer...although if she hadn’t already seen another elf before, she would have guessed it was because they were in the fade.

He looked great, though-- she never really found him attractive in the game without mods (although he did have his moments), but now she could definitely understand the appeal. The biggest difference was that he looked a bit younger, seeming to be more early thirties than mid forties like he “supposedly” was in the game (*cough*). His freckles were much more pronounced, and his lips were still full but a bit more natural looking. He was taller than her, probably by a couple of inches, and although he was slender, his chest and his shoulders seemed a teensy bit broader than she remembered--but that could also be because she was actually seeing him in person as well. Interestingly, he was wearing the exact same default outfit that he wore in Skyhold and Haven-- unlike Leliana whose outfit had more differences. She also noted that he was holding a staff-- how did magic work in the fade anyways?-- and although his overall demeanor seemed neutral, she wouldn't let that fool her.

“I was asking you the same thing.” He replied, his melodic voice _so_ similar to the one she was familiar with. His accent was different too, but only slightly--the difference was so subtle she barely picked up on it.

Solas shook his head. “My apologies. I saw you run past and thought you were someone else.” He paused, his dark blue eyes poring into her. “It seems I am at a disadvantage here. How is it that you know me?”

“Oh!” She responded, feeling awkward. “Erm...it's....kind of a long story...My name is Anna, by the way.”

He tilted his head again, the motion reminding her of a curious pup examining something. She had to stop herself from chuckling at the thought. How... _fitting._

“It is nice to meet you, Anna.” he said politely. “Although it is curious that you have shown up here, of all places. It has been a long time since I have had company while visiting this part of the fade.”

He turned, walking swiftly away in the other direction. “Come” he said, making a beckoning motion with his hands. She followed, having to do a quick jog to catch up.

“I have many questions for you, Anna, and it would be wise for you answer them.” The way he said it didn't make it sound like a threat, but she knew better. “Perhaps we should start with how you were able to get here?”

“Er... Well...” Anna stammered. “I guess.... I guess I was led here?”

“By whom?”

“Uuummmm....” She wasn't sure how to answer that really, so she just told him what she knew. “By the moon? And a wisp? But they were helping me. They led me out of these woods and then they showed me the sky and all the stars and it was so beautiful! And then I jumped off a cliff and I _flew_ !” Anna smiled at the memory, still somewhat giddy from the experience. “And then when I was done, the wisp led me _here_.”

He stopped walking, turning to look at her with fresh interest. “Ah. I see.” He said simply, starting to walk even quicker this time. She was honestly amazed she could keep up.

“Why, is that bad?” She asked. “Wait...you aren't a demon are you?”

“No, you are safe here. But this information is somewhat troubling.”

“I don't understand...Why?”

He examined her through the side of his eyes, barely turning his head as he continued to freaking power-walk, like he was trying to decide how much he should tell her.

“I have claimed this corner of the fade as my own, warding it against being entered. Regular spirits and demons would not be able to find this place, but there are a still a few who are powerful enough...and even then, they would have to know what they are looking for.” He sighed.

“What? So then that means...” she felt a bit dizzy from this information. So the moon...really was some sort of deity. Or powerful spirit? And why...why _her_ of all people?

“It can mean any number of things.” He said, stopping in front of a large, silo shaped building. It was gorgeous, and I reminded her somewhat of an old cathedral. Plants had overgrown all along the sides, whatever glass in the windows long gone.

“You said they were helping you?” He asked, and she realized her mouth had been wide open as she marveled at the building. “Are you troubled?”

She snapped her jaw shut, making a clacking noise with her teeth. “Oh!” She exclaimed as understanding dawned on her. “Yes...they... Oh, wow!” Anna couldn't help but laugh. “I thought they were just helping me escape the woods! I....I cant believe how dense I am sometimes, oh geez.”

He tilted his head at her in curiousity, so she elaborated. “The woods....they were frightening. The trees were trying to eat me, and I could barely breathe, but it stopped when the wisp showed up. All this time, I thought it was just leading me someplace safer, but....they were really leading me to _you!_ Because _you_ can help me!” She laughed, nearly overjoyed. When she had fallen asleep she had been completely hopeless, so sure was she that she was going to die, all alone with no one to save her. But someone, or some _thing_ DID hear her...and they had led her straight to possibly the only person who could do something about it.

He nodded, opening the large stone door and leading her [inside](https://blogof.francescomugnai.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/belgium.jpg). It was pretty empty, but still no less gorgeous than its exterior. “I thought as much. You must really be in trouble to have garnered the attention of such a powerful spirit.”

“I...I guess I am...” She said, feeling awkward. “But I'm not sure why it would help _me_ of all people.”

Solas shook his head. “It is not always clear why a spirit may choose to help someone, but it would be unwise to refuse their aid when so freely given.” He said. “I have brought you here so that you may tell me your story.”

“What...?” Anna asked, a bit dumbfounded. “Why? Why here and not out there?” she pointed towards the door.

“This part of the fade is much more concrete than usual, which is partially why I have claimed it as my own. It retains its shape, being much harder to manipulate and change than normal. But there are weak spots, places in which one can still project their subconscious or manipulate the fade as they would normally. This is one such spot.” Solas said. “Although I pride myself on being a good listener, I thought it might be easier for you to show me your story instead.”

“Show you?” She asked. “What do you mean?”

“You are a dreamer, are you not? Do you not know how to manipulate the fade to your will?”

Anna’s mouth gaped open. “Wha...A _dreamer_?” She exclaimed. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m not even a mage! I’m not even...I’m not even from here!”

Solas brought his hand up to his chin, as if he were stroking an imaginary beard. “You do not know your own abilities? How is this possible? Have you not traveled the fade before?”

“No...I..” Anna said awkwardly, biting her lip. “I've only been....I’ve only been in Thedas for just over a week, really...it’s hard to explain but, no. I have not. At least not like this.”

“Even more curious.” he said, the interest in his tone becoming more apparent. “You simply must show me your story, then-- Try closing your eyes, and go back to the beginning.”

She did so, remembering the night she was taken from her bedroom.

“Good.” He replied. “Now imagine it in your mind's eye, as if you were there. Try to remember what it felt like, what you heard, what you saw. The stronger the memory is in your head, the better it will translate around you.”

Anna squeezed her closed lids even tighter, scrunching up her nose as she concentrated. She felt the world shift around her--the earth below her feet changing to something much smoother, blue light shining through her shut lids. She opened her eyes, gasping when she saw she was back in her room.

“Fascinating.” Solas said from where he was standing in the corner. “You are quite proficient for a beginner. Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”

“No.” She replied, still astounded. “Like I said, I’ve only been here just over a week.”

“Hmmm?” He asked, examining the computer on her desk. “And where is it that you are from?”

“....Not Thedas.” She hoped being able to show him her memories in the fade like this meant he’d be more apt to believe her, unlike Leliana.

“I see.” He said. “You are going to have to be more specific.”

She sighed, unable to dodge the subject. “Yes...I’m from...well, where I’m from, Thedas doesn’t exist. Well, it kind of does, but only as a story. So I guess that means I’m from another world entirely.” She said slowly, more wary now after such a horrible reaction from Leliana. But then again, they were two much different people, were they? And she wasn't led to Leliana by the freaking moon goddess herself. She shook her head. “I know it seems crazy, but...I guess I can just show you, yeah.”

So she did, once again gasping as a second version of her appeared in her bed, sitting up just like she remembered and blinking wildly around her. She looked different, though, almost translucent.

“I woke up over a week ago in my bed,” she explained, “and everything was blue...”

She walked him through the events, somehow able to skip the parts where she changed clothes (it was odd how that worked...her ghost self just poofed away, reappearing with all her clothes on by the door). She told him of how she was from a place called Earth, and how, where she lived, there was no fade. They walked with her ghost downstairs, Solas examining the hallway, peeking his head into the living room while he listened and followed. It was odd to see herself relive the events from outside her body...she wasn’t physically feeling them, like she had been that night, and her ghost self looked like it was in some sort of trance (well...she kind of was, so). She explained the voice in her head to him, what she had been feeling, how she wasn’t in control of her body as they walked behind her ghost down the hall, Solas looking to be deep in thought. When her ghost got to the door, everything went white, just like she remembered...and then, they were back in the woods, and she was staring at the elven man who was poking at her passed out body.

“This is when you woke up in Thedas?” He asked as they watched her ghost wake up and try to run away. She skipped to the part where the elven man was dragging her out of the woods, Solas noticing the nearby breach in the sky the same time her ghost self did. “And you were near...Haven?”

“Yes.” she said as the scene changed yet again. Now they were in the dungeon, her ghost crying and hyperventilating as she had done when she first woke up. She skipped ahead again, finding it fascinating how easy it was to do so. Rena was there now, her daggers out as her ghost dropped the coin.

“They sent her to ask me questions.” She said. “ And I remembered I had a coin in my jacket--currency from my own world. She freaked out when I took it out.” They both watched as Rena sat back down, examining the quarter.

“How is it that I’m able to recall everything so clearly?” She asked Solas, wondering why the exchange they were watching was _so_ exact. “I can’t even remember everything that was said in a conversation from the day before--not word for word like this, at least.”

“Your subconscious contains more information than your waking mind may be able to recall at any given period.” He answered. “And when you sleep, your subconscious takes over.”

“Oh... I guess that makes sense.” Well, not really. She still had a billion questions, but she could ask him later. They watched the rest of the scene together, Anna explaining why she told them about the Lord Seeker. “I wanted them to believe me. But it didn’t work.” She shook her head sadly as Rena laughed.

“What happened?” Solas asked, Rena passing by him as she left.

She frowned, not wanting to meet his gaze. “I.... really don’t want to think about it....” She glanced over at her ghost self still laying on the hay pile. “It’s...really painful.”

“Every detail is important.” Solas replied. “If you are able, I must know.”

She looked at him, and she knew if she wanted his help, she’d have to finish her tale. But it wasn’t real anymore. It was only a memory, even if that memory was fresh and raw and hurt like a bitch. She thought of how she had enough courage to take that step off the cliff....and soon, she could hear herself sobbing from the other side of the room, pleading that she just wanted to help.

Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she stared intently at the wall, not letting herself look at what was about to happen next.

The scream that followed made her ears hurt, and she grasped her arm, pain shooting up from her fingertips, only for her to realize a moment later that it was her imagination all along. She was safe, she was safe, _she was safe._ She repeated this like a mantra, trying to reassure herself that as long as she was in the fade with Solas, she was far away from the shitty nightmare of a dungeon that her actual body was still currently holed up in.

“I see...” Solas said, a frown on his face as her ghost threw up. “And how did this happen?”

“I told her I was from another world...showed her my coin... remember how I said Thedas is a story in my world? Well, really it’s multiple stories, but the most recent one follows the Inquisition. So I know...things. About what will happen...well, what _could_ happen...not everything is completely set in stone, but some things are. When I told them about the punching thing in Val Royeaux, I was hoping it would be enough proof for them to believe me..but it only made things worse.” She shook her head sadly. “I guess I should’ve known better, but I didn’t know how else to prove myself.”

From where they stood, they watched as Leliana sliced her cheek, her ghost whispering its last defense--too quiet for them to hear from across the room. Leliana dropped her and left, leaving her ghost to sob on the floor, a couple of tears rolling down her own cheek as she relived the memory.

Anna sighed, wiping her face with the back of her hand as she forced herself to keep it together. “I mean, I knew that this was a possibility, but there are things that..well..I could use this knowledge to help, basically. So many deaths could be prevented if they just gave me a damn chance. Leliana is one of the main characters, so I know things about her that would be impossible for any regular person to know. So when she came and visited me about the punching incident, I opened my big mouth in hopes that she would see the light...But she didn’t like that...I suppose most people would be pissed if someone just started blabbing their secrets, but fuck, she broke my arm. And she was about to kill me!” She shuddered as she thought about _just_ how close it had been, turning away from her ghost self. She would have to wake up at some point. She _really_ didn’t want to go back.

“I can imagine most people would not be very happy, yes.” He said carefully, one eyebrow cocked up. “Although her reaction does seem rather extreme.”

...Yeah, she wasn’t about to tell Fen’harel himself that she knew _his_ secrets either. She was certain his reaction would be even _more_ “extreme”, as he put it.

“I’m not about to blab everyone’s darkest secrets.” She tried to assure him, in case he had any suspicions of how much she knew about him in particular. “It’s none of my business, and I’m not a snitch. And I really _don’t_ have a death wish. I just want to help-- my knowledge of events in the future could be used to save a lot of lives. I’m not interested in pissing people off or creating chaos.”

“I see,” he said, still examining her intently. “And what of me? What secrets of mine do you know?”

Her stomach dropped. Fuck. She was hoping to avoid this altogether. Thankfully, her mind thought fast. “Well..”.she said. “I’m not sure how much of a secret this is, but I know you absolutely _detest_ tea.”

He looked at her for half a heartbeat, Anna trying not to squirm before he laughed, the tension immediately dissolving. His laughter _did_ reveal his teeth though, and she took note of his sharp canines--another detail not in the game. Dread Wolf, indeed.

“That is true, yes.” He admitted, allowing the subject to drop, _thank_ the lord jesus. Good timing, too, since that’s when her ghost self started to sing. Another painful memory to relive, but not nearly as bad as getting her arm broken again.

“You have a beautiful voice.” Solas said as her ghost finished the first verse.

“Thank you. Usually I’m much better though...my voice isn’t usually so hoarse.”

“I can imagine.”

He seemed content to keep listening, and when she finished, the final “save me” barely a whisper, he turned to her once more. “It seems you are in quite the situation.”

Anna laughed despite herself, “Now _that_ is an understatement.”

The scene faded away, and they were back in Solas’s sacred place..or whatever it was called. She took a deep breath of relief, glad that she no longer had to relive that...although she knew she had to go back to reality soon.

“So...yeah. That’s about it. Although...” She looked at Solas. “Earlier, you said I was a dreamer...are you sure?”

He nodded. “I am certain.”

“But...no, that can’t be right. I’m not even a mage, and don’t you have to be a mage to be a dreamer? And I mean, they checked me and everything, said that I don’t have any abilities. And like I told you earlier, there is no fade where I’m from....it should be impossible for me to wield magic, shouldn’t it?”

“Not necessarily,” he said, stepping closer to her. “Although it does raise certain questions about the nature of one’s connection to the fade.” He tilted his head, a habit she was quickly learning he did often--funny how Bioware got so many things wrong, and so many other things right. “Perhaps you have always had the potential, but with no fade to connect to, your abilities never developed. But I can check now to see, if you will allow it.”

“Really?” Anna asked in surprise. “I had no idea that was possible...but sure, yeah, go ahead.”

He raised his hand towards her belly, a white light surrounding his fingers. She could hear a low hum, just like with the wisp, and as the white light started to surround her she could feel it vibrating, the “pitch” of it a higher frequency than the wisp.

“I see.” He said. “Your magic is there, but it is like a child's. It will take some time for it to develop fully.”

“Wha... _what?”_ She nearly shouted in panic. “I mean...that’s freakin' cool but.....they’re going to kill me if they find out, they can’t know that--”

“Relax.” He said, holding his hands out in a calm down motion. “It won’t happen overnight. In fact, I believe the reason you were fully able to enter the fade like this so soon is because of the extreme duress you were put under-- but your powers will take time yet. I will speak to the Herald, and we should be back within a week. You will be safe until then.”

“Wait..” her eyes were suddenly glossy. “Does that mean...does that mean you’ll help me?”

He tilted his head. “You have shown me your story, and I believe you are innocent.... And if you have knowledge as you say, it would be unwise to not take advantage of it....so, yes. I will help you.”

“Oh!!” She was crying again, damn her emotional self--but this time they were happy tears at least. “Thank you Solas...thank you!” Before she even realized what she was doing, she was hugging him. He froze for a second, but then relaxed and somewhat awkwardly patted her back as she repeatedly told him thank you about ten more times before letting him go.

“You are welcome.” He said, patting his wet shoulder from where she was crying after she released him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry--” she started, but he interrupted her.

“It is no matter.” He assured her. “But I must go now. And so must you.”

“Wait!” She shouted before he could leave. “What about...demons?”

“Ah, yes.” He raised his staff, and she felt a zap go through her body. “This is the best I can do, but it means you will not be able to enter the fade fully like you are now--don’t worry, it’s not the same as being made tranquil--it just protects your waking mind from becoming fully aware while in the fade. I will reverse it when I return, and then I can teach you how to protect yourself.”

She had no idea what he meant by 'waking mind', but she could not care one bit. She was too focused on how nice he was being. “Oh Solas..” Anna said. “You have done so much for me, and I've only just met you. Thank you. Really.”

“I don’t mind.” He said. “Besides, it will be nice to have a companion in my fade travels once in awhile. It can get...lonely, at times.” He said wistfully, the smallest hint of sadness as he stared into the distance. Anna’s heart ached for him. How many years had he spent alone? The moment didn’t last long though, “But now I must go. You may stay here until you wake up yourself.”

And just like that, he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry solas looks so wonky in the pic. I kind of hate my art style sometimes but I'm trying to get better at it, so whatever. Also I drew it on my tablet. As in, my android tablet, so I'm using that as an excuse for its wonkyness.
> 
> Oh yeah! Translate time. I kind of just mashed it together from stuff I found on the wiki so I'm sorry if it seems kind of weird. ANYWAYS.
> 
> Andaran atish’an: Enter this place in peace. A formal elven greeting. Literally: "I dwell in this place, a place of peace."  
> Ma'Falon= I mashed ma and Falon to create "my friend". it might be wrong tho sorry if it is  
> The next sentence is a combination of two things, also mashed together. Separate, they are:  
> Garas quenathra: "Why are you here?/Why have you come?"  
> Aneth ara: A sociable or friendly greeting, more commonly used among the Dalish themselves rather than with outsiders. Literally: "My safe place".  
> So basically together I imagine the last sentence is basically something like, "Why have you come here, to my safe place?" while having a double meaning of a friendly greeting.
> 
> Also....I know it totally seems like I'm setting this up for a solasmance. Well, SIKE. Theyre going to have an interesting relationship, and I can't tell you why cause reasons, but yeah. Oooh, also, kind semi related, I stumbled upon a real good [solas meta post](http://therewithasmile.tumblr.com/post/135261857928/on-solas) today that I thought I would share. I thought it brought up some real good points! It was pretty interesting.
> 
> Erm, what else? Oh yeah, I started classes today, and this quarter is gunna be a bit intense, so updates will probably be slowing down but donut worry my friends!! I will continue on! It just may not be as quick as it has been.
> 
> LASTLY THANK U FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK AND ENCOURAGEMENT. 4 real its like the best and so motivating and i luv u all, u guys are so nice n fresh and awesome thank u for bein cool beans. Okay I will stop rambling now, god damn these notes are long. My brain is fried. goodnight


	5. Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO! Guess who's back? That right it me! Sorry for that little mini-hiatus. Was not expecting life and school to be as MUCH as it has been. I wrote about it a bit on my blog, so if u ever want to see any updates or ask me anything just go [here](http://livinginthedas.tumblr.com/). I'm actually kind of glad I took my time with this though because it turned out waaaay better than the other two drafts I had before this.
> 
> Also, here is [some cullen ref](http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/38900000/Cullen-concept-art-in-The-Art-of-Dragon-Age-Inquisition-cullen-rutherford-38909628-1000-1500.png) for this chapter. Obviously he doesn't look exactly like that and would be more recognizable to his in game appearance, but I do imagine he has a few more hard angles and a bit of a thinner face than in game. Imagine him however you want though. 
> 
> Oh yeah, also, I don't know if anyone will notice, but Ellendra is totally an actual [in-game character](http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Ellendra). She's the one you meet in the cave by the crossroads who refuses to join the mages side because her lover was a Templar, and you can recruit her as an agent, too. I always imagined she would jump right into the whole healing business once she got to Haven.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy, and let me know what you think!

After Solas left, Anna spent the rest of her time wandering around the meadows and gardens of what was apparently Solas’s personal sanctuary. Was this where Solas spent his time while he slept all those years? She still couldn't get over just how beautiful it was, although this time as she explored it was laced with a tinge of sadness rather than glee. The memories she showed him were still fresh and raw in her mind, and she was _really_ not looking forward to waking back up into that pain again.

Things slowly started getting more fuzzy after he left, but it took a while. Although how long it took, Anna didn't know-- everything had become so hazy that it was hard to tell, and to be honest she wasn't sure if she trusted her sense of time in the fade anyways. She wandered around for what _felt_ like ages but could have easily been only an hour. Or it could have been an entire day, or even longer...who knew? All she knew is that after a while, everything started fading, and she no longer had a choice but to leave.

She woke slowly--her fade self _really_ didn’t want to go---but eventually she started slipping back into reality, a quiet murmuring of voices and moans and an occasional cough piercing through her hazy paradise. At first all she could think about was how badly she wanted water-- her throat and mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton, her teeth coated in a solid layer of fuzz. But then she realized that she wasn’t alone and she sat up with brief alarm, her head spinning from the movement.

What the hell was up with this trend of constantly waking up in new places, anyways?

Anna was no longer laying on a pile of straw in a jail cell, instead now tucked into a cot in what looked like a large canvas tent, surrounded by other people. And they all seemed....sick? She looked down at her left arm, noticing both her jacket and sweater had been removed to make room for the two flat wooden boards her forearm was sandwiched between. It was held in place by tightly wound cloth, and although she felt a low throb of pain emanating from it, it was nothing compared to earlier. She couldn’t help but breathe out a small hallelujah that she hadn’t been awake whenever they had set her arm back into place.

So she was in an infirmary then. Anna did a quick check over the rest of her body. She was still filthy, but the removal of her old clothes (god she hoped she’d get them back) was replaced with fresh smelling linens. It was basically an overly large beige t-shirt that reached to her knees. It was almost funny how similar it looked to a hospital gown back home. Some things, she supposed, were universal. And although the gown felt a bit stiff, she was glad they washed their clothing.

She shook her head. Of course they did. There were a lot of things about Thedas she was completely clueless about--it may seem obvious _now_ that they wash their clothes but how was _she_ supposed to know? It’s not like she was an expert on how people in the medieval ages lived, much less how different it would be here, where they had magic. But it was more than a little frustrating how ignorant she was to things that should be common sense here. She could only hope that she would learn quickly, so that she wouldn't raise too much suspicion. Unless she was just straight up with everybody...maybe she didn’t have to hide that she was from somewhere else completely. Maybe people would help her.....but then again, being honest hadn't worked out that well for her so far, had it?

Anna sighed. After the incident with Leliana she was no longer sure what to do. She figured people here wouldn’t believe her at first, but she didn’t think she’d come so close to death at Leliana’s hands just for trying to help. She was strongly considering taking back everything she said and denouncing it all as a lie. But, ugh, no...that would never work. Not with how much personal information she revealed to Leliana. And with her prediction of what was going to happen at Val Royeaux...and the memories she showed to Solas in the fade. No, she was in too deep now. It would be impossible to come up with another lie to explain how she knew those things. It was better to just stick to the truth for now.

Anna pushed all these thoughts aside, instead deciding to examine her surroundings. The tent she was in was large, longer than it was wide, two rows of cots lining both walls of the tent while still allowing a wide berth of space in the middle. There were about eight cots on either side, all of them except two occupied, and what looked like two doctors (or would the correct term be healers?) attending to two of the other patients.

In the middle of the room was a big cauldron looking thing, sitting on some charcoal lined by stones and boiling something. From where she was, she could almost feel the warmth emanating from it, and she realized that it was probably why the tent was much warmer than what she would've expected it to be. Towards the back, only two cots away from her, was a bunch of shelving and other storage. All sorts of things were stuck back there, including an assortment of herbs, metal tools, blankets and other clothing/linens, and what looked like various glass potion containers. There were other things as well, such as books and papers, and several metal tins that seemed big enough for a person to fit in all stacked up as well, amongst other things. Boy, she really hoped those metal tins were for taking baths. Anna really, really wanted to take a bath.

Towards the front was a small area with no cots, which allowed enough room for a bench and a desk on either side. A pregnant lady was sitting on the bench, and one of those Chantry mothers with the weird hats was leaning down with an ear upon her belly. She nodded, apparently satisfied with what she heard, much to the pregnant ladies relief. The Chantry mother ushered the lady out of the tent, holding the small flap open to let the woman duck out. When she turned back,  Anna realized it was Mother Giselle, looking tired and worn as she made her way back to sit at the desk.

“Ah, you're awake. Here.”

Anna startled at the voice behind her, quickly jerking to her side to see one of the healers holding out a mug. The lady was thin and pale, with dark reddish hair and circles under her eyes. Anna gratefully took the cup she was offering, chugging down the water as quickly as she could.

“Not so fast now,” the woman chided. “Don’t want you choking to death _now_ after you spent nearly four nights fighting off an illness.”

As if on cue, Anna gurgled the water from the back of her throat, causing a somewhat embarrassing sound followed by a coughing fit.

“See, what did I tell you?” She said, patting Anna on the back as she continued to nearly hack up a lung. The woman helped bring the glass back up to her mouth once she was able to breathe again. “Slow and steady,” she murmured.

“My name is Ellendra,” The woman said once she was confident Anna wouldn’t start spluttering again.. “I am a mage, with some training in healing. May I take a look at your arm?

“Uh... sure.” She croaked in between sips.”My name is Anna,” she said quickly, before turning back to her cup. Her response seemed to please the woman, who dragged over a small stool before unbinding the cloth wrapped around her arm as she finished her drink.

“I was asleep for four days?” Anna asked. Her head was swimming. She had so many questions.

“Yes. I was sent to collect you from the dungeons and found you passed out, injured, and burning up with a fever.” She shook her head. “You were in a bad condition. We were afraid infection had already set in before I found you but thankfully we were able to stave it off with some healing potions and leeching.” she said matter-of-factly,  Anna nearly choking again at the thought of _leeches_ on her body _._ “You were in rough shape though- we weren't sure you were going to make it until your fever broke yesterday.”

So her fear that she was going to die in the dungeons had been legitimate after all. Her throat tightened at the thought.

Yet something else Ellendra said caught her attention.

“You were...sent?” How did that make sense..? She thought she was going to die in that hellhole. She never expected to wake up in an infirmary _._

“Yes, I was sent,” Ellendra gave her a curious look. “How else would I have known there was a sick prisoner in the dungeons?”

“I...who?”

“Who sent me?” she asked, and Anna nodded. “Why does it matter? I’m not even sure if I remember anyways.” She shrugged, placing the wooden boards down beside the cot. “All I know is that someone came and fetched me in the morning. Didn’t even tell me what was going on, just led me down to the dungeons and unlocked your cell before leaving. I had to use magic to levitate you all the way up here when you didn’t wake up.”

Anna didn’t know what to think about this. Who would have helped her? The only one who even knew that she was injured was Leliana. Had it been her? But, she had been so close to outright killing her! Why would she have gone from ‘about to murder’ to sending her a healer in such a short time? Did she somehow actually get through to her? Did that mean there was a chance that Leliana believed her?

“Ow!” She was snapped back to reality as a stabbing pain shot up her arm. The healer had been poking at it, but she had been too distracted to notice until that point.

“Ah, yes, sorry,” Ellendra said, not looking sorry at all as she cradled her arm in her lap. It was covered in deep, gross looking bruises, but it wasn’t nearly as swollen as it was before she passed out. “Just needed to see where the worst of it was,” the healer looked up at her. “I would like to use magic to help it heal quicker, and to make sure infection won’t set in again. May I?”

Anna nodded, not sure why she had to even ask. Who wouldn’t say yes to that? She had a quick flashback to finding Mother Giselle in the Hinterlands for the first time in the game. Hadn’t whatever injured person been resisting the mages healing at first? Was it that common for people to be so scared that they wouldn’t even allow themselves to be healed?

She watched in awe as a soft white light emanated from Ellendra’s hands over her battered arm, making her skin tingle and itch. It was warm too, and she could feel the pain begin to lessen as veins began to fix and the bone started to mend. She noticed a soft high pitched sound coming from it as well, and she wondered if _all_ magic made sounds like that. She thought it had just been the fade being all dreamy and stuff.

“Have you never seen magic before?” Ellendra asked. Anna felt her face heat up just a little when she realized that she had been staring all wide eyed, her mouth hung open and nearly drooling from her amazement.

“No...No I haven’t. Not really.” The fade didn’t count, she decided. She honestly had no way of telling if she actually met Solas or if it was just some sort of crazed fever dream. Either way, it had been...nice. For some reason, she didn’t feel nearly as traumatized as she would’ve been without it.

Not that she wasn’t traumatized. She knew Leliana could be dangerous, but... Well, she didn't think it would have ever gone _that_ far. She shook her head as if the motion could get rid of the memories, returning her attention back to the healer.

“You don't need to use a staff?” She wondered out loud, not sure if that was a stupid question or not. Fortunately Ellendra was not surprised by her curiosity. With all the mages locked up in Circles until now it only seemed fitting that most common people wouldn’t know much about magic.

“Oh no, no staff is needed,” the healer answered. “Although they do have their uses, and can help strengthen and direct spells, but it’s more complicated than that. I won’t bore you with the details.” She chuckled, completely unaware that Anna was not bored one bit by this subject. She wanted to know everything. She had a billion questions and it took almost all of her effort to keep her mouth shut and not ask them all at once. She didn’t want to freak out or give the only person who had shown her any kindness since she got here a reason to be suspicious of her. She just had to be patient, as difficult as that was.

Ellendra took about ten more minutes before she was done, and although her arm was still extremely bruised, there were less dark purple colors and more yellow than before. Anna winced in pain as the healer began wrapping it up again, but she was much too grateful to complain.

“There,” Ellendra patted her arm gently as she finished up, giving her a small reassuring smile. “All done. Now if you could, I would like you to drink this and try to get some rest.” She said, handing her a small red bottle which Anna assumed was a healing potion. “Dinner will be in about two more bells, so until then I want you to try and sleep some more if you can.”

Ellendra stood up, moving to pick up the small stool she had been sitting on. But before she could leave, Anna stopped her.

“Um, Ellendra?” Anna asked shyly, causing the woman to turn back. “I need to....um. I have to pee.” She wasn’t sure why she felt so weird asking about this, but Ellendra only nodded in understanding.

“Right,” she said. “Let me get you a bucket.”

 

* * *

 

Nearly three days passed before Anna had enough. She felt _fine_ , and while her arm still needed more time to heal, that didn’t mean the rest of her body was out of business. She was bored, and more than restless. She needed to _do_ something, or she would probably explode. All she wanted to do was jump up and run outside, but the lack of proper shoes and clothing stopped her. Well, that, plus the fact that Ellendra and the other healers probably wouldn’t appreciate it. They would most likely think she was trying to escape, but really, she just needed _air._ She had only gotten small peeks at the sky in the two weeks that she had been in Thedas, and it just wasn’t enough. She needed _more._

Still, the last couple of days had been better than all of her time spent in the dungeon. Not only was she fed actual food (Meat! Veggies! She was so happy when they first handed her a bowl of soup with actual sustenance that she had cried actual tears), but yesterday she had taken a real life bath! She hadn’t even cared that she was basically naked in front of everyone, including the other patients. They were all pretty much too sick to even notice anyways. But even if they had all been staring, Anna wouldn’t have given a shit. She only cared about _finally_ being able to scrub all the dirt off of her. She had been so dirty that the metal tub had to be refilled twice before the water began running clear. Each time, Ellendra had taken the tin outside and filled it with snow, and thanks to a small fire looking rune infused to the bottom of it, it only took about ten minutes before it heated up to a comfortable temperature. Ellendra took time to untangle her hair and braid it while Anna used her good arm to scrub the rest of her body with rags and a small thing of scentless soap. Afterwards, the healer helped her into the Thedas equivalent of a bra, and gave her a pair of underwear to put on before another random girl took her measurements and left. She was also given a clean gown that was just as loose as the one before, a warm long-john type thing, and clean linens. Anna had been over the moon. She had been more than happy to go back into her warm, clean cot and stay there the rest of the night.

But today she had to do _something._ Because if she didn’t, she was probably going to go crazy.

She just had to wait until Ellendra was done with one of the other patients, and then she would talk to her.

 

* * *

 

Haven was _different._

Well, sort of. Things were still somewhat in the same place as it had been in the game. There was the lake, the field with the tents and soldiers, the wall surrounding the village, and then of course, the village itself. But it was also much, much bigger. There were way more buildings, and about two dozen more tents where the soldiers were. Even the field in between the lake and Haven’s walls was much, much larger. Like at least a football field bigger. Maybe two football fields, or even three. Anna was not sure why she was trying to compare it to that. She didn’t even like sports enough to truly know just how big a football field was. But whatever, the point was that it was freaking huge compared to the game, and way more populated as well.

She clutched the piece of paper with unfamiliar symbols tight as she trudged up to the front gate. The tent she had come from was towards her right, past the blacksmith's and a huge building with a fence behind it that was obviously the stables. Behind her were about ten tents that were separated from the soldiers, but she wasn’t sure what they were used for. She would ask later. Right now she was too concerned with delivering this message.

She hadn’t had to beg Ellendra to let her out like she thought she would. For some reason the healer seemed to have taken a liking to her, being a bit more motherly towards her than the other patients. Anna hadn’t revealed much about herself, but it didn’t seem to matter. Ellendra must have somehow sensed that she was far away from home, alone, clueless, and scared. Or maybe she was just mistaking her doing her job for fondness. Either way, the healer had been hesitant to let her out and about, but agreed once Anna suggested running errands for her. Right now she was delivering a list to Adan for potions that they needed. They brought back her clothing before she left, now clean, and Anna happily shoved on her jacket and boots overtop her gown. Ellendra and the other healer (who Anna learned was named Grace) had given her outfit a weird look, but didn’t comment on it, which she was grateful for. Her parka fit in just enough that most people only gave her a passing glance before returning to their business as it was.

As she passed the front gate into Haven, she noticed most of the people looked worn, and a bit tired. Some of them were much too thin and haggard, and others had obviously led lives of hard physical labor. She wondered how many of them even had a choice in the matter. Although she supposed it wasn’t that much different with the poor back on earth. Just different circumstances.

But not everybody was as worn or thin as she expected. There were a couple people who she guessed were nobles, or at least had more money based on their fine clothing. She was pretty sure she even spotted an Orlesian or two with their masks, but she only got a couple glances before they were gone.

She made her way past the buildings, Haven a much larger maze than the version she was used to. Ellendra had given her directions, but even with that it took her at least a good ten or fifteen minutes to actually find the Apothecary. She kept her eyes out for anyone she might recognize, but didn’t see anything much to her displeasure. She even poked her head into the Tavern (which was also much larger and seemed to have an upstairs) hoping to see Sera or Bull, before remembering that it was still too early in the timeline for them to be there yet. Still, she couldn’t help but giggle when she finally found Adan, who was just as much of a grumbler in real life as he was in the game. He grumbled even louder when he realized she was laughing at him, which of course only made her giggle harder as she ran out the door.

It felt good to have some freedom again. She never wanted to be imprisoned like that ever again.

It was on her way back when she saw him. He hadn’t been out before, or maybe he had and she just hadn’t noticed. The soldiers, who were all sitting around and eating when she first passed them, were now apparently done with their lunch break and back to training. And there, right in the middle, was a man walking around and surveying them, barking out orders and fixing various recruit’s stances or grips or whatever else as he passed. He was handsome, the angles in his face a bit more sharp than in-game. His hair looked soft, and she could tell he was muscular even underneath all his armor. She was too far away to see many other details, but what she did see was impressive. He was like a mix in between Thor and Captain America, honestly. Beefy, blonde, and with that intense look on his face.

Cullen stopped at one pair of trainees, nodding his head in approval before shouting to the rest of the recruits to stop sparring and pay attention. Apparently the pair was up to his standards, as he made the two spar while the rest watched, using them to point out everything they were doing right. There were at least a good forty or fifty recruits, yet Cullens voice was loud and clear even from where she stood at a distance. Once he was finished, he made everyone go back to sparring, and the process started all over again.

It was then that she realized she had been standing there and staring like an idiot for a good ten minutes. Oh god, she hoped no one saw her, especially not him. Talk about embarrassing. She quickly jerked her body around, making her way back to the tent in a huff, refusing to look back behind her.

Which was too bad, because if she did, she would have seen that the Commander had finally turned to look her way, not as oblivious to the random girl staring from a distance as she hoped he was.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Another three days passed before it happened.

“You’re wanted in the war room, Miss.”

Anna looked around, trying to see who the messenger was talking to, but seeing no one but a bunch sleeping sick people. She had been getting ready for bed, and she just drank a little bit of some sleeping draught that Ellendra had given her on her second night there. Anna’s arm was in a sling now, and although she was finally healthy enough to leave the infirmary, she had made a deal with Ellendra that she could continue taking up a cot as long as she helped with errands and would give it up if there were more patients in need of beds. Anna was happy with this arrangement, as it gave her something to do, kept her fed, and gave her a place to sleep in the meantime. But it was hard for her to fall asleep with so many noises and things going on in the tent and outside. Of course, Ellendra had noticed and given her a mixture to help. She only needed a small sip before she fell into a daze and fast asleep.

“What?” she said, already a bit loopy from the draught. He couldn’t _possibly_ be talking to her.

“In the Chantry, Miss. I will escort you.”

“M- me?” she stammered. “Why would I be needed there?” Anna’s heart was beating hard in her chest. She had no idea what was going on, or why they would want to talk to _her_ , unless it was something about the Val Royeaux trip, or maybe Solas and the Herald had finally arrived or something. She had kind of written off the dream with Solas, not actually thinking it was real or that she talked to him, attributing it to her weird fever instead.

“I don’t know,” the man said, obviously a bit annoyed. “All I know is that I am to escort you there at once.”

“Oh-uh, okay, um...I need to...clothes and shoes.” _God_ , why could she never talk when she got nervous like this?

“I’ll wait out front. Be quick.”

And with that he went to stand outside, leaving a panicked Anna behind. She glanced over at Ellendra, who was on the other side of the room checking a patient, her quick nod a confirmation that she heard everything.

Anna quickly threw on one of the dresses she was given a few days ago (apparently that’s why that random girl had been measuring her), trying to calm her nerves as she quickly tied the laces in the back, ignoring the tremble in her hand as she threw on her boots and parka overtop.

She was going to have to see Leliana again. And the Commander, and Josephine, and possibly more.

And she was going to be looped up on fucking drugs while she did so.

With one deep breath, and a muttered reassurance to herself that _she can do this_ , she opened the flap to the tent and stepped outside.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always imagined that Mother Giselle would do more than just stand around the Chantry, and would actually be out there helping people.  
> Haven is a bit different too. I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned that this fic is filled with headcanons, but if not, well now ya know.
> 
> Next chapter might be another couple weeks, but we'll see. Finals are about to hit and then I graduate june 4th, so life's going to get even crazier. But after that I'm home for a week because of jury duty so I'm hoping I'll have some free time to write. I'm kind of pumped for a looped up Anna meeting the gang though, so I might just try and get it done earlier, but no promises!!


	6. The First Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm dividing this up in to 2 parts because it was getting really long. Thanks to everyone for the congrats on my graduation! This chapter was really difficult to write. I'll give you whatever references I had in mind for this chapter in part two, cuz I'm really tired right now and just want to get this posted.
> 
> P.S. I posted a second chapter of the sister fic to this story, it fills in some details of Anna's stay at the infirmary from Ellendra's POV. I didn't want to drag the main fic on too long, which is why I decided to do that. You can find it [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6357280/chapters/15755791). Everything in that chapter happens during chapter five of this fic.

Anna made it all the way to Haven’s front gates before the potion fully set in. When the messenger first came to fetch her, she was terrified. Anxiety had swept through her body, making her stomach turn knots, her arms shake, and her heart pound in her ears. But when the potion wore in, it was like all of that anxiety exploded. Bam. Gone, just like that. The adrenaline was still there, but instead of freaking out she just felt giddy and a bit drunk.

It’s not like she hadn’t thought about the possibility of something like this happening. In fact it feels like she’s spent the last however long she’s been in Thedas rehearsing in her head what she’d say. Of course, that didn’t work out so well with Leliana, did it? Her arm was a constant reminder of _that._ She knew she had to gain their trust, but she wasn’t sure exactly how she would do it. She had been open about her knowledge and origins for the most part, but they thought she was crazy and she nearly died for it. She wasn’t going to go back on her word though. There was no other believable explanation for how she knew those things that Anna could think of. And it wasn’t that easy to make up an alias when she was dropped into another world, even with how much she knew about it.

She was lightheaded and buzzing when they finally made it to the Chantry. The man held open the heavy doors for her, and as she entered she couldn’t help but wonder who all was going to be there. Other than that glimpse of the Commander, she hadn’t really seen much of anyone. She wondered, not for the first time, who the Herald was, and if she would meet them at all. She hadn’t really talked to anyone since she woke up, feeling overwhelmingly shy for perhaps the first time in her life (which was another story)-- so she never asked anybody about it, although she _did_ hear someone mutter “elf” and “herald” a few times while they were walking by the tent once. But up until this point, that was her only clue. Ohhhh man, if it was Lavellan...

Anna could hear muffled voices coming from what could only be the war room as they approached. She felt like laughing from the intensity of it all. The inside of the Chantry was dim, with only the soft glow of torches lighting the huge room. And the dude escorting her looked so serious as he went up to the door and knocked twice, the sound echoing ominously throughout the chapel. If it weren’t for this potion, she’d probably be freaking the heeelll out right now, but currently she just felt like the main character of some sort of HBO fantasy show. Well, technically it was a video game, except for the fact that right now it was real life. She was living a dragon age fangirls ultimate dream. Lord knows how many “modern girl in thedas” stories there are out there.

Heh. Talk about taking ‘ _self insert_ ’ to the next level.

She was smiling at her own stupid joke when the door opened and she came face to face with the one and only Cassandra Pentaghast. The lighting from the war room flooded the chapel, and Anna had to squint to make out any details. Cassandra looked even more amazing in real life. Her body was hidden underneath some fancy inquisition armor but Anna could tell her muscles were a bit beefier than her in game appearance. And those cheekbones, wowie zowi--

Anna’s thoughts cut off when Cassandra grabbed her good arm, pulling her into the room and closing the door behind her.

“ _Sit,_ ” the Seeker commanded, and she fell into the chair that Cassandra pushed her in. Then she looked up, and her heart stopped.

They were all there. Josephine, who was actually much shorter than the game made her out to be, was off to Anna’s right, her eyes bright and curious. Beside Josephine was Cullen, who was leaning over the table and glaring at her with such an intensity that Anna had to look away to Vivienne behind him--who was perhaps even more beautiful and poised in real life. Anna caught a glimpse of Sera and Varric in the back corner diagonal to hers, with Sera on top of a small table shoved into the wall and Varric leaning against it. Then, to Annas left, stood Solas with his hands behind his back, in front of him a small elven women who could be none other than the Inquis-erm, Herald. Lavellan, then.

Anna only glimpsed at Leliana for a split second before deciding that was a Bad Idea, instead turning her attention towards Cassandra in front of her, who had taken her place a couple of feet away by the table.

It was almost amusing how ferocious the Seeker looked, if not for the fact that her glare was aimed at her. Plus the fact that Anna was apparently now important enough to be brought in front of The Chosen Ones of Important Inquisition Members was enough to frighten her a bit.

Vivienne was the first to break the silence. “Well, she’s certainly not from any respectably titled family with that posture,” she said, the metal on her horned cap reflecting the chandelier of candles above them. The Enchanter’s eyes flicked towards the Commander, who was still hunched over with both hands splayed across the map. “Of course, Ferelden is always a possibility, what with their general lack of social graces.”

Cullen straightened, his eyebrows setting even lower than before once he realized he played straight into her hand by doing so. He looked so _fierce,_ with the way he was scowling and the intensity of his gaze, and Anna was suddenly reminded that it wasn’t just Leliana who was dangerous.

Anna watched him as he glared at the table. He looked as if he were about to say something, but Cassandra cut in before he could.

“Enough. I have questions.” She said, straight to the point. “Solas, is this the girl you dreamed of?”

Oh shit. So the dream _was_ real. Not a fever dream, or anything in her own head like it would’ve been back at home.

Anna turned to look Solas in the eye for the first time since she came in. Any hint of his previous friendliness was gone, replaced with a careful neutral expression as he appraised her. He looked a bit more...worn in real life. Anna idly wondered how much he told everybody about their encounter, and just how much trouble she was in.

“Yes, I believe that to be her,” he replied coolly.

“You have been called here today to answer for yourself,” Cassandra said, “Your _‘prediction’_ of the events in Val Royeaux was disturbingly accurate, and if I had not seen it happen myself I would have dismissed it as entirely absurd. But it was true. You have also somehow become privy to our Spymistress’s private memories--information which she has never shared with anyone before. Then, to top it all, you somehow managed to approach Solas in the Fade, revealing yourself to be a Dreamer.”

There was a pause before she continued. “Any of these incidents alone would have been troubling, but together it is exceptionally alarming. Yet it goes further than that.”

Anna barely had time to register the Seeker picking something up off the table before it was flung towards her, smacking her square in the forehead before falling to her lap. Her non-broken arm flew up to catch it comically late-- which Sera apparently thought was hilarious, if the barely muffled giggling coming from the back was any indication. She felt her cheeks flush as she awkwardly rubbed her head. That hurt.

“What-”

“Just open it.” Cassandra said impatiently.

She looked down to where it had fallen, finding a small wooden box with a metal clasp holding it shut. It was easy to undo despite only having one free hand, and as she lifted the lid she immediately recognized her quarter within. Despite how minor it was, Anna couldn’t help but feel a small tinge of happiness at it’s familiarity. Good ol’ Georgie McPorgie and his dumb colonial face. She picked it up, turning it over in her fingers to examine the back. _Oh._ Instead of the usual eagle, there was a peach--it was the Georgia State quarter. Any happiness she had a moment earlier was replaced by an overwhelming surge of sadness as she realized that, other than the outfit she came to Thedas in, this was the only piece she had of home. That, and her memories.

“--Are you even listening?” Cassandra’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“Sorry...” she mumbled, glancing back up. “I’m a lil loopsy...”

“You’re _what?_ ” This time it was Cullen who spoke.

“Shloopy,” she sniffed, “No...wait, that ain’t right. Loopy. I’m sloopy ‘cuz of this sleep potion thingie. I had a sip right before that dude came to get me.....but ‘is ok. I can still talk’n stuff. I jus’ wasn’t payin attention right then ‘cuz...there’s _two_ Georgie’s.” She waved the coin at them. “Wai, no, that sounds dumb. I wan’ that taken off the record.”

Okay, she was officially freaking them out. Great, cool. She was finally given the chance to speak with them and she sounded like an idiot. They were looking at her like she was an idiot, too.

“I don’t believe I have ever heard any such accent before,” Josephine said, breaking the silence. “Did she talk like that with you?” she asked Solas. Or maybe Leliana, who was standing in the shadows behind him.

“No,” Solas answered, and Leliana shook her head but remained silent.

“I’m not sure if that was an accent, my dear, as much as it was gibberish.” said Vivienne.

“She could be faking it to gain our trust,” Cullen said. “Or as a way to distract us.”

“True,” Cassandra nodded in agreement, “Although there would be much easier ways to do those things than acting like a crazed--”

“Woah woah woah,” Anna interrupted before she could stop herself. Damn her lack of restraint. “Okay, lissen, I know I’m no’ makin’ that much sense, but I’m tellin’ you that’s ‘cuz of the sleep potion. Ask Ellendra, she’ll tell you...I’m also real nervous so that’s makin’ me weirder...” She glanced around at everybodies unbelieving faces before smacking her forehead. “This is already messed up. I’m sorry. If you’d rather do this tomorrow when I’m no’ so floopshy...”

“No,” the Seeker glared at her, “We do this now.” She crossed her arms before continuing. “As I was saying, your explanation for your knowledge of events is outlandish. We believe there is another, simpler explanation, and the coin you are holding in your hand is evidence of that.”

“You mean that I’m from another world?” she asked, unsure of where this was going. It didn’t sound good.

“No,” the Seeker said. “We believe you to be a powerful mage. The fact that you are a Dreamer is evidence of that, and it would explain how you were able to know our Advisors secrets and the actions of Seeker Lucius in Val Royeaux. It would also explain the amount of detail on the coin which you have given us. The symbols on the coin do not match any language, modern or ancient, that we know of. We believe that you forged it yourself, using magic to achieve the intricate design so that you could gain our trust.”

Well, that certainly helped Anna sober up a bit. She was speechless. They thought she was.....? Of course they didn't believe her. Why would they? She was so stupid. She thought Solas had at least believed her, but obviously he didn't. Her chest started tightening, but she absolutely refused to cry. Not this time.

“You have nothing to say for yourself?” Cassandra sneered at her.

Her heart was thumping hard in her chest, heat rising up her neck. “I have plenty to say fer myself,” she said, squinting at Cassandra, her voice much tighter than it probably should be. She wasn't just upset-- she was angry. She had been put here against her will, thrown in a dungeun and barely fed, threatened, had her arm broken, and was very nearly killed. Now she was apparently some mage, and a dreamer to boot, which was half really fucking cool and half terrifying, considering the whole demons being more attracted to mages thing PLUS the fact that mages are treated like shit in this world. Why couldn't she have just gotten her letter to Hogwarts instead?

Anna felt her good fist tighten, and her body tense. The rush of adrenaline from her anger must have cleared her head, or perhaps it was just the fact that she knew she was in deep shit if she didn't choose her next words carefully. Being angry probably didn't help her case, but it was really hard not to be. Since the beginning, she had been honest. She told them she wanted to help. To save lives. And while it wasn't necessarily uncalled for for them to be suspicious of her, to be treated like a criminal when she had done _nothing_ wrong just....really pissed her off.

“I have queshtions,” she said, apparently still unable to keep herself from slurring because of the potion. “Firstable, what does me being a ‘dreamer’ have anythin’ t’do with knowing peoples secrets? Second, how do ya even use magic to forge things? Actually, scratch that, ‘cuz apparently I'm supposed to know this already even though I really don’t. Third, why in the hell would I be tellin’ you I'm from another world if I was trying gain your trust? Also, didn’ the people who checked me when I first came said I had no magic? Because I'm still not sure if I'm even really a mage, which of course you won't believe, but I really have no idea what any of this means anyways.”

She had to stop to take a breath. She could feel herself shaking, but this time it wasn't out of fear or panic, but out of rage. Deep breaths, she had to take deep breaths. She needed to calm down.

Cassandra took advantage of her pause, deciding to answer her. “As a dreamer, you have the ability to enter others dreams. We believe you have done so without our knowledge, gaining information from us to use either against us or to gain our trust, so that we would believe this ridiculous story of yours. We believe that you are telling us this lie to cover up the fact that you have been entering our dreams. We do not know why, but we intend to find out. As for checking you for magic, we are only able to check for traces of magic left on you, which is different from checking if you are actually a mage or not.”

“When you say _we_ ,” Anna said, “does that mean every single person in this room?” She turned to Solas, who was still standing there quietly with his arms behind his back. He was supposed to be on her side, dammit. “Because in the fade, Solas, you tol’ me you believed me. Or has that changed?”

He hesitated for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face.

“...It has not changed, no. I still believe you to be telling the truth.”

Anna sighed in relief. The egghead actually came through.

“You cannot be serious,” Cullen said gruffly.

“I am, Commander.” Solas said, just as calm as before. “I did not want to push the issue, but I saw a glimpse of her memories in the fade. From the beginning, she has been wanting to use her knowledge to help, and in return she has been treated harshly.”

“THANK you,” Anna huffed, but Cassandra was having none of it.

“She is dangerous, Solas. We still don't know who started this mess, and as of right now she is the most obvious suspect. Do you really think we should just trust everything she says when she could be the one who drove us here in the first place?”

“She is weak, Seeker, and does not yet have a grasp on her abilities. Even if she is as powerful as you think, it would still not be enough to cause the breach.”

“And how would you know? It seems suspicious to me that you are defending her, seeing as how--”

“Enough, Cassandra.” This time it was the Herald who spoke. Anna couldn't help but marvel over the small elven woman's beauty. She had big eyes and a narrow nose that jutted out much further than most of the other elves she’s seen so far. Her hair was long and kept in many tiny braids, with what looked like golden thread laced through some of it, and an occasional bead here and there. She was small, but she stood with confidence, commanding authority for herself despite her size. “I trust Solas’s opinions just as much as I trust yours. Do not do him the disservice of insulting him, because in doing so you are also insulting me.”

Ohhhhh shit. Anna already liked this girl.

“That still doesn't mean I believe you,” the Herald said, turning to Anna. “I, too, would rather believe Cassandra's theory over yours. The thought of another world, especially one with knowledge of our own is....troubling.”

“It’s a lie,” said Cullen

“No, it’s _not._ ” Anna said. “What do ya’ll want from me? Do you want me to tell you about the guy on this coin? You want me to tell you  about where I’m from? I can name every single one of the fifty states of America. Right now I live in Savannah, which is in Georgia, and I can tell you all about that too. Or what about all the technology we have? ‘Cuz it would blow your minds. We have machines that can fly in the sky and machines that let me talk to anybody in the world no matter how far apart we are. I could talk for days. Do ya’ll really think I’m just pulling this shit outta my ass? Do you think I _asked_ to be sent here?? Do you think I enjoy the fact that I got my arm broken and was nearly killed because _I was trying to use my knowledge to help you?”_

“I dunno what more I can do. Even if I wanted to make up something about how I’ve been a mage all my life and how I’m out to get you and set up all this just to gain your trust--which by the way, I’m doing a _really bad job of_ \-- I dunno what I’d tell ya ‘cuz any story I’d make up is gunna have holes in it which ya’ll would end up figurin’ out. And you know why? Because I’m not from here. I’m from the planet Earth, where there’s no magic, no fade, no elves or qunari or dwarves, and Thedas is nothing but a damn video game that I enjoy playing in my free time. All I wanted to do was help, and you guys are arguing about how I must be this big baddie out to get you when the _actual_ big baddie is still out there.”

Then she deflated, crumpling into the chair and closing her eyes with a heavy sigh. She just wanted to sleep. “If ya’ll don’t want my help, fine. But I’m not changin’ my story, ‘cuz I’m tellin’ the truth.”

“She is.”

Anna’s eyes flung open at those words, looking towards the corner where they came from. There was no way....

She made eye contact with Leliana across the room for the first time.

“She’s telling the truth,” Leliana reiterated. “Or at least, what she believes to be the truth. And if I’m right, I believe we can prove it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeeeee I have a lot more free time now so there shouldn't be as long of a wait between updates anymore!! I'll do my best to be more regular now that I will actually have the ability to do so!! As always, if you notice any bad spelling or other glaring mistakes please don't hesitate to let me know!


	7. Well, That Went Better Than Expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaay here's another small update!  
> I couldn't find any good ref that I liked for Varric yet. I'll add it in later if I ever find one I like.
> 
> Last chapter the kudos went over 100 and hits went over 1000! Such an awesome feeling, thanks guys!
> 
> Also unrelated, today is my birthday! Yay! I'm 22 :-) thats all for now!

Out of everyone, Leliana was the very last person that Anna expected to take her side. After the whole spectacle with her arm, she was convinced that the Spymistress would actually be speaking out against her, instead of staying silent like she had been previously. But then, there was still the mystery of who had sent Ellendra. She was pretty sure it had to have been Leliana, as she doubted anyone else even knew she was hurt, and if they did, why would they take the risk of breaking her-- a nobody-- out of the dungeon? Plus, she had been left alone since she woke up in the infirmary. Haven was much larger than the game version, but not so large that Leliana couldn't have found her easily. She had to have known where Anna was, and the fact that she wasn't dragged by her hair back down to the prison was telling.

Maybe Anna  _ had  _ gotten through to her.

The whole room was facing the Spymistress, who was now wearing the chainmail that Anna was used to seeing her in. 

Leliana shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, it may not prove she is from another world, but it would at least disprove Cassandra’s theory.”

“What exactly do you have in mind?” The Herald asked.

The Spymistress turned to face Anna. “You know information, yes? You knew some of my most closely guarded memories. That extends to others, correct?”

“Yeaaaah...” Anna said, “but it’s kinda limited. I dunno everything 'bout everyone. Mainly just about the inner circle, so pretty much everyone in this room, minus the In- uh, Herald. And even then, it’s not like I know every single detail, ya’know.”

Leliana nodded. “Perhaps this won’t work then, but it has occurred to me that dwarves do not dream.”

As if on cue, the whole room turned to stare at Varric, an expression on his face that said ‘who, me?’. He was leaning against the table that Sera was sitting on, and his expression quickly changed from a wide eyed one to something in between sheepish and annoyed. 

“Why is it always me?” He complained. “I doubt there's anything she could say that isn't already public knowledge anyways. All my secrets have been hounded out of me already,” he said with a pointed look towards the Seeker.

Leliana pursed her lips. “Is that so? Every single thing?”

“Well...” 

“No,” Anna interjected softly, feeling guilty. Everyone turned to look back at her again, a very displeased look on Varric’s face. “I might know, uh, one thing...”

“Oh, great,” Varric mumbled, smacking his hand over his eyes.

Anna raised her hands. Well, hand. “Nonono, Varric, donut worry, I'm not gunna tell’em. Their yer secrets. I already decided tha’ I'm not gunna go ‘round blabbing everybody’s lives cuz that would be real shitty of me. I promise.”

“Well, that's good I guess," he said, but it didn't really seem like he believed it.

“Fine," Leliana said. "I will escort you and Varric to another room so that you can tell him in private and he will confirm for us whether it is sufficient or not. It would at the very least be evidence that you are not gaining this information by infiltrating our dreams.”

“Good idea, Leliana,” said the Herald. Varric just mumbled something under his breath, but still made to move towards the door. Anna stood up, nearly toppling over from the motion. Thankfully she was able to regain her balance, and started wobbling towards the door, which Leliana was now holding open for them.

“We will be right back,” she said, closing the door behind them. The Chantry had a couple of hallways that weren't in the game, and Leliana led them down one. 

They were silent as they shuffled down the corridor, their footsteps echoing across the hall. They finally reached a large door, prompting Leliana to take out a set of keys she had hidden underneath her skirt. Classic. 

“This room is warded against magic and has no windows, which is why I chose it. I will be waiting outside. Do not try to escape, and Varric,” she said, looking at the dwarf, “You have my full permission to do whatever you deem necessary in the event that she attacks you.”

“Got it, Nightingale,’ he replied, patting his crossbow before stepping into the room, leaving Anna alone with Leliana.

Anna hesitated, almost turning to follow Varric before she stopped herself and turned to look back at the Spymistress instead.

“Why are you helpin' me?” she asked. She really wanted to know.

Leliana blinked once, but there was no other indication of emotion, her expression a blank neutral. “You told me that you could help save lives. If what you know is accurate, and it helps, I do not care where you claim you got it from,” she gave Anna a hard look. “Now go. Do not take long or I will come in after you.”

And with that, Leliana gave her a soft push into the room before closing the door with a loud thump.

The room was medium sized, and looked like it was used as some kind of storage. There were crates and boxes everywhere, the stone walls unadorned except for a few torches, which Varric was currently working on lighting. Apparently he had already lit the first one while Anna was talking to Leliana, and was using it to light the rest. Anna stood there in silence, aware of the subtle way that Varric never fully turned his back towards her. He put the torch he was holding back in its sconce when he was done, then found a crate in the middle of the room that was small enough for him to be able to hop up on to sit. Anna slowly walked over towards him, finding another crate nearby for her to sit on as well.

He leaned back, sitting in silence for a moment as he appraised her, so she took the opportunity to do the same. Like everyone else, he looked almost exactly like his in-game appearance, with subtle changes. He still had the same thick neck, the large, crooked nose and heavy brows. But his cheeks were a bit more shallow, his skin pockmarked with tiny scars here and there. This was a man who lived roughly, a man who looked a lot more beaten and worn than the Varric she knew. It made sense, with his age and what he’s lived through. This was real life for him, and she imagined that if anyone had to go through the type of shit he has, they would end up with that same weary look too.

His chest hair was still just as glorious and on display though, which made her happy. And despite his beaten appearance, the glint in his eye was alert and alive. 

He crossed his arms. “I have a feeling I’m not going to like whatever it is you know about me.”

Anna tried to give him her best apologetic look. “Prob’ly. Even in the story I followed back home you never really talked ‘bout it.”

“But somehow you still know.”

Anna sighed. “Yeah. It’s compl’cated. Promise you won’t hate me? I won’t tell.”

“It’s hard for me to hate anyone unless they really deserve it,” he sighed. “But, alright. Let’s hear it.”

“It’s 'bout Bianca.”

The emotions on his face played out in a split second. It went from confused, to hurt, then to anger before finally landing on resolute. 

“Of course it’s about her,” he groaned. “It always is.”

“I’m sorry Varric,” and she truly was. She felt bad that she knew these things, these people’s deepest secrets, when they already had so much other stuff to worry about. But she needed to prove herself, and if this was the only way...”You, uh. Loved her. Lots. She was real special to you. And suuuuper smart. She made you that crossbow. But her parents hated you ‘cuz you weren’t traditional, or somethin’ like that. I don’ remember why 'xactly. But they sent assassins after you a bunch. And you wanted to marry her. You guys were gonna run away. She told you she wanted to, at least. But she left, and married some other dude her family liked instead. Past tht...' all I know is that she still visits you sometimes, and that you aren’t really open to any other romance with anyone else, but I forget if you guys're still involved? You gave her the red lyrium thingie too.” She decided to wait to tell him about the rest later, figuring it would be better for her to tell him about Bianca being the source of the red lyrium leak until he trusted her more. If that ever happened.

Varric did not look happy, but seemed to accept what she said. “Not even my best friend knows about her,” he muttered. “I’ll be damned. I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit in my life but I never thought I’d have some girl who claims she’s from another world come up and tell me my own secrets. How much more do you know?”

“Uh...” 

“Actually, don’t answer that. I’m not sure I  _ wan _ _t_ to know,” he said, hopping off his crate. “Alright, I guess you passed the test then. Let’s go.”

Leliana was waiting for them right outside, just as promised. She blended in with the shadows so easily.

“Well?” she asked as they made their way back to the war room.

“Yeah,” Varric said. “Not even Hawke knows about what she just told me.”

Leliana glanced at her. “It is a bit unsettling that a stranger knows so much about us.”

Anna shook her head. “At this point I wish I didn’t know anything.”

Leliana looked down at the sling poking out underneath her jacket before looking away, apparently deciding to just leave it at that.

They reached the war room, the muffled conversation on the other side of the door stopping abruptly as Leliana opened it. 

“Her information was sufficient,” she said, which garnered a slew of reactions from the room. Cassandra pressed her lips tight and glared, Cullen groaned and muttered something under his breath, Vivienne merely examined her with raised eyebrows, Josephine hummed and wrote something on her clipboard, and Sera gave her a weird look that was something in between fear and fascination. Solas’s expression remained unchanged, and the Herald merely nodded as if she was expecting to hear that answer.

“We were just discussing what to do with her should it be so,” Lavellan said. “Does this mean you know what happens next for the Inquisition?”

“Kinda," Anna answered. "Like I said, it’s complicated. But now you gotta choose between the Mages and Templars right?”

“Yes,” she said. “But not before gaining more influence first. We’re having a meeting at the third bell tomorrow to discuss these matters. I want you to be there.”

“Okay...” she said, doing her best to ignore the way the Commander was trying to glare a hole through her head. He hated her already, and she’s barely spoken to the man. It was disheartening. But she’d rather have their hatred over letting them have her head.

“We are moving you to a cabin, where you will be bunking with other various workers of the Inquisition. Leliana’s agents have informed us that you haven’t revealed any information about yourself to anyone other than us and the agent who first questioned you. Apparently you have been running small errands for the healer’s yes?”

Anna nodded, and Lavellan continued. “You shall continue to help them then, when you aren’t meeting with us or doing your lessons. We would like for you to keep your knowledge and claims that you are from another world to yourself for now. It’s doubtful that we will be able to keep the secret for long, but we at least want to make sure that your information is valid before it gets out. Understood?”

Anna wasn’t sure she heard her right. “...Lessons?” she asked, confused.

“Yes. Both Solas and Vivienne have volunteered to help you control and learn about your abilities. We still aren’t convinced that you truly have never known about your abilities before, but it is better for you to be under supervision regardless. A messenger will be sent to fetch you when their schedules open enough to spend time teaching you.”

Holy shit. Solas told her he’d help, but Vivienne? Why her? Why would she bother with someone like Anna in the first place? 

“That is all,” the Herald concluded. “You will be escorted back to the Healer’s tent for the night. You will move into the cabin tomorrow.”

Anna stood there for a moment, in complete disbelief that the meeting took such a dramatic turn. It was obvious that Cullen and Cassandra especially were not very happy about it, but she never thought that it would actually end this way. What the hell?

But she wasn’t going to complain about it. No-siree. So instead she did her best curtsy, only to almost trip over herself. Sera burst out laughing again and Vivienne tutted loudly, but Anna ignored it, mumbling a quick “Thank you” before turning to leave. Leliana was still standing by the door, and opened it for her, calling a guard at the other end of the chapel to escort her back to the tent.

It was on her way back that she realized this was the first time (second time if you count the trip there) that she had been outside at night, and that there were two moons shining brightly in the sky that she never noticed before. One was huge, white like the moon back home, and the other was much smaller, right beside the large one with a reddish hue. Towards the left, the breach was lit just as bright with green energy swirling amongst the clouds, looking so much more eerie in the dark sky.

She really was in a different world. 

Thankfully, she didn't have to dwell on that for long. She fell asleep as soon as she hit her cot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehhh sorry if the "proof" was lame but it was the most realistic thing I could come up with. Some exciting things coming up soon, including some AWESOME art I commissioned!


	8. Meeting the Roomies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying shorter chapters now. Originally this was going to have the rest of the day in here as well, but then this scene ended up being nearly 1.5k words, so...Here it is. Maybe if I only do shorter chapters, writing will seem less intimidating, and updates will happen more often?

The next morning, she was awoken gently by Ellendra. “There’s a man outside to see you,” she said. “Said to bring all your things. Are you leaving?”

Anna rubbed her eyes, not wanting to leave the warmth of her thick blanket. “No, they’re just moving me to a cabin. But I’ll still be here to help out,” She yawned.

“Ah, good. I was worried for a moment there,” the healer sniffed. “Here, I’ll help you gather your things.”

She didn’t have much, thankfully. Only her clothes and the potion that Ellendra had given her, which was still a third of the way full. “I’ll be back,” Anna said, and then she was off. 

The one thing that Anna noticed about Haven was that there was straw everywhere. It had even been in the war room last night, strewn about on the floor. At first she was confused as to why they were so obsessed with the stuff, but after witnessing her first official Theodesian snowfall, it made sense. Snow plus bare ground equaled mud once the snow started melting. It was one of those little things that the people here took for granted because it was so commonplace--and although Anna knew that people probably did it at home too, living in a city meant she never came across these things.

Fortunately, there was no straw in the cabin she was assigned to, which was odd seeing as how most of the other buildings seemed to always at least have _ some _ scattered about. In fact, the place looked completely empty save for some furniture and other essentials. Anna peered into the dark room before entering, her escort scurrying off before she could ask who else lived here. There were two bunk beds shoved on opposite sides of the walls, two desks, a large bookcase, a couple of shelves, a large trunk at the end of each bed, and what looked like some drawers. There was also a fireplace on the wall in between the beds, and a large pot plus some other cookware standing neatly beside it. And...that was it, really. Even the mattresses were bare, although there looked to be a couple of neatly folded blankets placed on top of one of them.

Anna hurried over to the bed on the left and set down her things on the lower bunk.  She was curious as to what the bed was actually made out of, for one. She pressed down on the mattress (which was really more like a canvas sack) to try and get a feel of what was inside. It felt like....straw. Because of course it was. Still, it looked a lot better than the stiff cot she  _ had  _ been laying on, and it hadn't been so bad sleeping on the stuff when she was in prison. At least now there was a covering, so that the ends wouldn’t poke her skin while she tried to sleep. Or maybe it still poked out through the canvas? Anna pushed down harder, trying to feel for any prickly sensations through the canvas.

“Looks like our little bird got here before us!” A voice called out from the still open doorway. Anna startled, jumping up and hitting her head on the top bunk. Because of course she would.

She turned around quickly, ignoring the pain blossoming through her skull in hopes that the newcomers wouldn't say anything about it. She could be somewhat awkward when it came to social encounters as it was, especially if she was out of her element-- which, seeing as how she was  _ still  _ somehow in Thedas, she very much was.

To her surprise, she easily recognized the person standing in the doorway. 

“Rena?” 

“That's me, lass. Behind me is Finn and Lysette.” She stepped into the room and looked around. The other two came next, one whom she recognized as the elf who had found her the day she arrived in Haven, and a woman in Templar armor she’d never seen before. All three were lugging bags into the cabin with them. 

“Well, it looks like ya already settled into a bed, I see,” Rena said. “Lysette, you should take the other lower bunk. That way you’ll have quickest access to her in case anythin’ happens.”

Anna’s mind blanked out for a split second. “You guys... Are my new roommates?” She asked, a bit shocked. She was expecting a random assortment of people, not this. She cast a worried look towards the Templar, Rena’s words just beginning to sink in. Quickest access? What was that supposed to mean?

“Yess’m. All three of us. Boss’s orders.” Rena was already shoving things into one of the drawers, the other two occupied with unpacking as well. “Me and Finn are here because we’re one of the few who know ‘bout yer crazy story. I don't mind though, it's so much nicer here than below the Chantry. Got an actual fireplace and everythin’. It’s too cold down there I tell ya.” Rena shivered, as if demonstrating just how frigid it was. Of course, Anna already knew how low the temperatures dropped in the dungeon. She guessed that at least Rena had a blanket, unlike her. Ugh. 

Anna mentally shook herself. Now was not the time to be resentful. She should be thanking her lucky stars she wasn't thrown back in the dungeons last night. Still, it looked like she wasn’t completely off the hook, if the Templar was any indication. 

“Oh, and Lysette is here to watch over ya,” Rena added, as if she had read Anna’s mind. “Well, we all are, but she's the one who’ll be walkin’ around with ya for a while. She knows about yer story now too.”

“Oh,” was the best response she could muster. She wasn't surprised, but still upset and fearful of the prospect. She was used to having her independence. Now, unless she could find a way back home, she might not ever have any real type of freedom again. 

The thought of home made her pause. She had barely thought about it since she first got here. She hadn’t let herself, not fully. It was too much, you know? She couldn't handle those emotions right now. But it would hit her, eventually. Along with everything else. She bet it wouldn't be pretty when it did.

Lysette must've thought that Anna was still upset about having a Templar assigned as her babysitter, because she stopped unpacking her things to peer at Anna with a look of pity on her face.

“It will most likely not be forever,” she tried to assure her. “It's only a precaution until we are sure you are able to handle your magic safely. Please understand, I am to protect you. I will not harm you unless you give me reason to do so.”

That actually made Anna feel a lot better. She knew there was more to it than that-- but the fact that Lysette was nice enough to try and make her feel better meant a lot, and helped her feel more at ease. If any Templar was going to be watching her, at least it was nice one.

They didn't take much longer to unpack after that. Anna lay on her bed until they were done, deciding to use her sweater as a pillow. The blanket she chose for herself must've been made out of some time of wool, because it was a little bit itchy-- but it was thick and warm, too, which was the important part. Her bed was actually not that bad either. Way comfier than the cot for sure. 

Finn was the first to leave. He reminded Anna of Fenris, actually. Not in looks-- with his large green eyes, light skin, and dark “[Sokka style](https://www.google.com/search?q=sokka&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS658US658&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjos73jvbDOAhXD7SYKHdOWAQUQ_AUICCgB&biw=1680&bih=935#q=sokka&tbm=isch&tbas=0)” hair, he looked nothing like lyrium boy. But his quiet and somewhat sulky personality practically screamed Fenris. ‘I'm dangerous’ was what his body language said. She bet there was some softness underneath that hard exterior. Maybe she could coax it out of him.

Rena left next, leaving Anna alone with Lysette. 

“So how does this work?” Anna asked. “You just go wherever I go?”

“Yes, that's the plan.” 

Anna thought for a moment. “Rena said you know my story, does that mean you know all of it?” 

“You mean about the other world thing?” The Templar gave her a weary look. “Yes, I am aware of that. Why do you ask?”

“It’s okay if you don't believe me. I wouldn't if I were you, either.” She was  _ going  _ to ask if she was okay with Anna asking her questions about Thedas that should otherwise be common sense, but she didn't want to push it. She was lucky Lysette was being so nice to her about it in the first place. Maybe she would try after they got more comfortable with each other. If that even happened.

Lysette was quiet for a moment before she nodded, and that was that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick shoutout to all the lovely souls in the mgit chat--youre all amazing and give me so much motivation to do this thing :)


End file.
